Smart Textiles: A Strategic Perspective of Textile Industry

Comfort is a state of mind affected by many factors, and clothing has contributing to the well being of man, changing in some cases his customs. Since the origin, the primary functions of clothes have been of protection against cold or in general against environmental stimuli. New functions are required to modern textiles: wearing comfort, durability, cleaning properties, optimized functionality for specific applications (workwear, sportswear, medical wear). Smart and interactive textiles represent a budding interdisciplinary field that brings together specialists in information technology, micro systems, materials engineering, and production technology. The focus of this new area is on developing the enabling technologies and fabrication techniques for the economical production of flexible, conformable and large-area textile- based information systems that are expected to have more applications for different end users. The smart and interactive textiles will be highly applied in the next generation of fibres, fabrics and items produced from them. Application of smart textiles can be now found everywhere. The market and the business of wearable, interactive and smart textiles are presently changing the basis of the textile industry. The changes are dynamic knowledge transfer, innovative systems, new employment opportunities in the smart industries and others. Business possibilities are not limited to the textile industry, but they can be found in almost any line of business. The European textile sector is one of the mainstays of the European Manufacturing Industry. The market for smart textiles is one of the most dynamic and fast growing sectors and offers huge potential for companies.