Yarns with embedded electronics

Textiles are one of the most important materials developed and used extensively by man. Textiles have protected us from the hazardous environmental conditions and clothed us for modesty. One of the newest and rapidly growing area of textiles is electronic textiles where electronic interconnectivity is combined with 'classical' textiles. In the first generation, electronic devices were simply attached to garments or included in pockets. In the second generation, electronic functionality was achieved by incorporating conducting yarns into the textile structure. Integration of micro-semiconductor devices within the fibre of a yarn has an enormous potential in the creation of electronically functional yarns (EFY), and would provide the platform for the creation of a new generation of wearables (3rd generation).