Embroidering electronics into the next generation of "smart" fabrics

Archeology shows that about 170,000 years ago, just before the penultimate Ice Age, people wore clothing. But even today, most modern people wear clothes that are hardly different from the earliest garments. However, this will change soon as flexible electronics are increasingly being woven into so-called "smart fabrics".

Many of them are already available for purchase, such as: Gaiters that produce soft vibrations for easier yoga, T-shirts that track player performance, and sports bras that monitor heart rate. Smart substances can be promising in healthcare (measuring heart rate and blood pressure of patients), in defense (monitoring the health and activity of soldiers), in cars (adjusting seating temperatures to provide more comfort to passengers), and even in smart cities (Communication of the signs) to be used with passers-by).

Ideally, the electronic components of these garments - sensors, data transmission antennas, and power supply batteries - are small, flexible, and barely perceived by their wearers. This applies today to sensors, many of which are even machine washable. Most antennas and batteries are solid and not waterproof. They must therefore be removed from the clothing before washing.

My work at Ohio State University's ElectroScience Laboratory aims to make antennas and power sources equally flexible and washable. In particular, we embroider electronics with conductive threads, which we call "E-threads", directly in fabrics.

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Antenna embroidery

The E-threads we work with are bundles of twisted polymer filaments to ensure strength. Each thread has a metal-based coating to conduct electricity. The polymer core of each filament is typically Kevlar or Zylon while the surrounding coating is silver. Dozens or even hundreds of these filaments are then twisted into a single E-thread, usually less than half a millimeter in diameter.

These e-threads can be easily used with standard embroidery equipment - the same computer-aided sewing machines that people use to write their names on sports jackets and sweatshirts every day. The embroidered antennas are light and as good as their rigid copper counterparts and can be as complicated as state-of-the-art PCBs.

Our e-threaded antennas can even be combined with normal threads in more complex designs, such as: By integrating antennas into company logos or other designs. We were able to embroider antennas on fabrics as thin as organza and as thick as Kevlar. Once embroidered, the wires can be connected to sensors and batteries by conventional soldering or flexible interconnecting components.

So far, we've been able to create smart hats that read deep brain signals for patients with Parkinson's or epilepsy. We've embroidered T-shirts with antennas that extend the range of Wi-Fi signals to the wearer's mobile phone. We also made mats and sheets to monitor infant body size to detect a range of early childhood illnesses. And we made foldable antennas that measure how much the fabric has bent or raised on a surface.

Go beyond the antenna

My lab also collaborates with other Ohio researchers, including chemist Anne Co and physician Chandan Sen, to produce flexible, miniature fabric-based power generators.

We use a process similar to ink jet printing to place silver and zinc dots alternately on the fabric. When these metals come into contact with sweat, salt solution or even liquid escapes from wounds, silver acts as a positive electrode and zinc as a negative electrode - and electricity flows between them.

We have generated small amounts of electricity by moisturizing the fabric - without additional circuitry or components. It is a fully flexible, washable power source that can be connected to other portable electronic devices, eliminating the need for conventional batteries.

This flexible, wearable electronics transforms clothing, both together and individually, into networked, sensitive communications devices that blend well with the fabric of the connected 21st century.

Ancient arts inspire modern electronics

After several decades of dizzying electronics development - from personal computers and flip-phones to portable devices, smartphones and tablets - there are signs that technological breakthroughs are coming to a standstill. For example, your new iPhone is not significantly different from the previous one. And laptops almost all look the same - and work.

Engineers need new inspiration for innovation. A source, believe it or not, are ancient arts. For example, my work is inspired by Kirigami, a lesser-known cousin of origami folding art. You may have even made Kirigami as a child, folded and cut to make paper snowflakes. Materials inspired by these arts can be used to enhance smart apparel, build flexible smartphones, and make dentures easier.

Cut paper

The word Kirigami is the English name for the art of paper-cutting. Archaeologists say that Kirigami can be traced back to Japan before the 17th century. It is still a popular folk art in Asian countries where people make Kirigami to celebrate the Lunar New Year, newborn, marriage and other important events.

Usually Kirigami starts with a folded paper base that is cut, unfolded and flattened to get the final artwork. The intricate patterns create beautiful artworks based on mathematical and design principles that can alter the mechanical behavior of the material being cut. For example, a particular pattern may make the paper firmer or more stretchable.

A technical idea

Just as Kirigami practitioners cut and fold paper, engineers can cut and fold materials that can be integrated into electronic devices.

Recent innovations in energy-efficient electronics have produced portable electronic devices, high performance electronic ink paper, artificial electronic skin, and smart fabrics. However, many of these creations are based, at least in part, on traditional circuit boards, typically made of silicon and metals. They are hard and brittle - not good for the human body. People need clothes and paper and things that can handle curves and bends.

The research community and technology and apparel companies are committed to making electronic devices as flexible and flexible as possible. The trick is to make sure that the flexibility of these devices does not limit their ability to handle power.

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Let us turn to electronics

Recently, my research group at the University of Buffalo has produced a new, Kirigami-inspired, ductile electronic device. The device consists of self-assembled polymers and nanowires and is one centimeter wide. Alone, it could easily stretch - to only 1.06 inches. When cut with a Kirigami-inspired laser pattern, the same device can stretch up to 20 centimeters, 2,000 percent larger than its unstretched shape. The inherent elasticity of the material helps, but the pattern and orientation of the cuts are the main factor in how the device deforms.

What's more, the unit has 3,000 times more power through cutting, so the electronics can run faster or charging takes less time.

There are many other electronics researchers who are inspired by Kirigami. As our groups and others refine these types of materials, they can eventually be integrated into the electronic skin - much like temporary tattoos - to enhance the feel of prostheses and robots. Hospitals can also use E-skin patches to wirelessly monitor patients' vital signs. This will replace the annoying wires that can get tangled up or prevent people from sleeping in bed.

Stretchy electronics is also the key to Samsung's plans to bring out a flexible smartphone. And they could be central to smart apparel, an industry whose value analyst project could cost $ 4 billion by 2024. Hundreds of years ago, with artistic innovation, clothing and apparel could one day help athletes maximize their performance and monitor their health, provide people with chronic illnesses with vital information about themselves and their caregivers.

Sensors get smarter

AutoSens, which took place last month at the world-famous AutoWorld Museum in Brussels, Belgium, brought together industry leaders to examine and evaluate the latest developments in the driver assistance systems (ADAS) market.

It is expected that this market will reach more than $ 67 billion by 2025, due not only to increased innovation but also to a growing number of initiatives that are driving growth in vehicle automation and self-driving Cars accelerate.

The sensors are becoming increasingly intelligent, and as a result of increasing intelligence and performance, designers can add fewer devices to more perceptions and capabilities.

However, as it is likely that we will keep self-driving vehicles at a much higher level in terms of driver safety, the increasing innovation we see in terms of the technology needed to support autonomous driving suggests that this will take a long time Time to achieve full autonomy.

The hype surrounding autonomous vehicles is gradually dwindling as engineers and scientists become more realistic, which will actually mean the development of Tier 4 and 5 vehicles - very significant challenges for the future. The claim that we would see fleets of autonomous vehicles or robotic taxis on our roads by 2020 has undoubtedly been a long way off.

Nevertheless, progress is being made in this area in the exploration of sensors, image processing and security.

One of the event's most exciting announcements last month was made by CEVA, a licensor for wireless connectivity and smart sensing technologies.

The company introduced the NeuPro-S, a second generation AI processor architecture designed for the marginal inferences of neural networks.

In co-operation with NeuPro-S, CEVA also introduced the CDNN Invite API, a deep neural network compiler technology that integrates the heterogeneous co-processing of NeuPro-S cores with custom neural network engines Optimization run for neural networks supports firmware.

"The NeuPro-S, along with the CDNN Invite API, is ideal for visionary devices that require state-of-the-art AI processing, especially for autonomous cars," said Yair Siegel, senior director of customer marketing and AI strategy for the company.

"The NeuPro-S tries to process neural networks for the segmentation, recognition and classification of objects. We've included system-related improvements that can significantly improve performance. "

These enhancements include: "Multi-tiered storage support to reduce costly external SDRAM transfers, multiple-weighting options, and heterogeneous scalability, using multiple combinations of CEVA XM6 Vision DSPs, NeuPro-S cores, and custom AI engines allow in a single, unified architecture. "

The result is that the NeuPro-S consumes on average 50% more power, 40% less memory bandwidth and 30% less power than CEVA's first-generation AI processor, Siegel said.

With the CDNN Invite API, users can integrate their own neural network engines into the CDNN framework to streamline the growing diversity of application-specific neural networks and processors now available, and to improve networks and layers to enhance the performance of CEVA's XM6 Vision DSP. NeuPro-S and custom neural network processors.
According to Siegel, the CDNN Invite API is already being adopted by customers who work closely with CEVA engineers to deploy them in commercial products.

Coccon LiDAR
An interesting use of autonomous vehicle technology is in the development of geo-fenced vehicles, which have a limited range and a more limited power spectrum.

"Given the projected population growth in cities by 2055 and the expected doubling of vehicles on our roads, the infrastructure burden may continue to deteriorate," said Vincent Racine, Product Line Manager at LeddarTech.

"We face increasing congestion, increased emissions and a real loss of productivity when we're on congested roads.
As a result, demand for autonomous shuttles operating on fenced routes is increasing. Some research reports even estimate that 2 million of these shuttles could be in operation by 2025 and that 4 to 15 people will be transported on given routes of up to 50 km in length.
"Sensors will be an important component in these vehicles as they navigate congested areas and must consider pedestrians, cyclists and animals whose movements are difficult to predict."

To address this issue, LeddarTech has developed the Leddar Pixell, a Cocoon LiDAR for this type of geo-fenced autonomous vehicles.
"This 3D solid-state LiDAR cocoon solution is designed specifically for autonomous vehicles such as shuttles and robotic taxis, as well as utility and delivery vehicles, and is designed to provide improved detection and robustness," said Racine.

"It provides highly reliable detection of obstacles in the vehicle environment and is suitable for sensing platforms designed to ensure the safety and protection of passengers and vulnerable road users."

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The solution has already been adopted by over a dozen leading autonomous vehicle suppliers in North America and Europe.
"Crucially, the Pixell can compensate for the limitations of LiDAR mechanical scanning for geopositioning, which tends to create blind areas that can reach several meters in some cases. There are no dead zones or blind spots with this solution, "emphasized Racine.

The sensor is capable of providing a highly-efficient detection solution to cover critical blind spots, using technology integrated into the company's LCA2 LeddarEngine, which consists of a highly integrated SoC and digital signal processing software.

Situational attention
While technology can help create a better situational awareness - be it seeing things, perceiving them, and then linking them to a user's location - much development is still needed in this area.

One of the company's concerns is Outsight, which has developed a 3D semantic camera called the "revolutionary type of sensor that brings intelligent machines up to date". According to Raul Bravo, president and co-founder of the company, "It's a sensor that combines software and hardware and supports remote material identification with real-time 3D data processing.

"This technology provides greater accuracy and efficiency so that systems can discover, understand, and ultimately interact with their environment in real time," said Bravo.

"Mobility is evolving rapidly and our 3D semantic camera will be able to provide the man-controlled machines you see in Level 1-3 ADAS (Advanced Driving Assistance Systems) a complete situational awareness and a new level of safety and reliability It also helps to accelerate the emergence of fully automated intelligent machines for self-propelled cars, robots and drones stages 4-5.

"This technology is the first to offer complete situational awareness in a single device. This was made possible by the development of a low-power, long-range, and eye-safe broadband laser capable of identifying material composition through active hyperspectral analysis.

"Combined with Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (3D) SLAM-on-Chip capability, this technology can deliver real-time reality," says Bravo.

The camera provides usable information and object classification through its integrated SoC, but does not rely on "machine learning". As a result, the power consumption and required bandwidth decreases.

"Our approach makes massive amounts of data unnecessary for training and the guesswork is eliminated by actually measuring the objects. Being able to determine the material of an object creates a new level of security to determine what the camera actually sees, "Bravo said.

The sensor can not only see and measure the world, but also capture the position, size, and full speed of all moving objects in its environment, providing path planning and decision-making information, and road information.

These examples show that sensor technology to support autonomous vehicles is fundamentally changing and, most importantly, helping to reduce overall deployment costs as features are improved and improved.