E-Textile Standards Surge Forward!

The E-Textile Explosion The stuff of science fiction, right? Clothes that light up in response to sound, monitor your heart rate as you go about your day, or help to keep your mp3 player charged up. These are examples of the primitive e-textiles that have appeared on runways and in the press, with few making headway in the marketplace. That was yesterday. Today, we’re on the cusp of a major e-textile explosion that will soon bring major changes to the way we exercise, shop, maintain our health, run our households, and in other ways we are just starting to explore. News media are increasingly covering the myriad new technologies adding electronic functionalities to clothing and textiles in general. Juan Hinestroza, associate professor of fiber science and director of undergraduate studies in the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University, says “e-textiles are expected to impact all the spectra of textiles and fibers- from medical textiles capable of sensing body signals to tablecloth sending signals to the restaurant manager that they have been stained.”