Scientists develop smart clothing based on semiconductor devices

A new manufacturing method can directly immerse LEDs and sensors into textile grade polymer fibers, which can be used to develop new wearable technologies that enable optical communication and health monitoring.

Semiconductor diodes capable of emitting or detecting light are fundamental building blocks of communication and sensor technology. If they can be incorporated into fabrics, it is expected to create new wearable electronic devices. However, it turns out that combining the functionality of semiconductor devices with the scalability of fiber-based textiles is a tricky business.

Yoel Fink and colleagues at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology started with a larger polymer preform that embedded the semiconductor device into the hollow channel of the preform. Then, the preform is heated and stretched while threading the wire into the hollow passage to form an expanded fiber bundle. In this way, the electrically connected light-emitting or photo-detecting diodes are evenly distributed axially within the fiber bundle. The process is inherently scalable and can produce functional fibers hundreds of meters long. Once stretched, the fibers can be easily woven into the fabric.

The researchers turned these diode fibers into a standard domestic washing machine and found that their performance was not compromised, proving their durability. In a recent article published in Nature, the researchers also said that a two-way optical communication connection could be established between two textiles containing light-detecting and luminescent fibers. Not only that, but this smart textile can also be used to measure the wearer's heart rate.

Researchers believe that this new manufacturing process enables people to create textiles with more advanced features. Smart textiles and wearable technologies will become increasingly sophisticated in accordance with their own "Moore's Law."