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How can smart textiles support the health and well-being of aging and disabled populations?

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Smart textiles are fabrics that can sense, react, and adapt to various stimuli, such as temperature, pressure, light, or electricity. They can be embedded with sensors, actuators, microcontrollers, or wireless communication devices to create interactive and functional garments or accessories. Smart textiles have many potential applications in various fields, such as fashion, entertainment, sports, medicine, and defense. In this article, we will explore how smart textiles can support the health and well-being of aging and disabled populations, by providing enhanced comfort, safety, mobility, and independence.

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Marylou Marsh Sanders

President & Creative Director Spiritex

1 Comfort and temperature regulation

One of the main challenges for aging and disabled populations is to maintain a comfortable and optimal body temperature, especially in extreme weather conditions or during illness. Smart textiles can help regulate the thermal comfort of the wearer, by adjusting the insulation, ventilation, or heating of the fabric according to the ambient or skin temperature, or the wearer's preferences. For example, smart textiles can use phase change materials, thermochromic dyes, or shape memory polymers to change their thermal properties or appearance in response to temperature changes. Alternatively, smart textiles can use electrically conductive fibers or microcapsules to generate heat or cooling effects when activated by a battery or a remote control.

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Marylou Marsh Sanders

President & Creative Director Spiritex
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Sounds great and cutting edge on the New Horizon but then I ask myself, what is it made from and how does it affect the planet? Is it made sustainably? Does it pollute? That’s always the bottom line for me. A lot of the accumulated illnesses that we have as we age is from being exposed to environmental toxins like pesticides and micro plastics. So something that sounds really promising could also be creating a whole another negative area to deal with down the road.

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2 Safety and monitoring

Another important aspect of supporting the health and well-being of aging and disabled populations is to ensure their safety and monitor their vital signs, such as heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, or glucose levels. Smart textiles can integrate biometric sensors, such as electrodes, optical fibers, or nanomaterials, into the fabric to measure and transmit these parameters to a smartphone, a wearable device, or a medical system. This can enable real-time feedback, alerts, or interventions in case of emergency or abnormal conditions. For example, smart textiles can detect falls, seizures, or cardiac events, and trigger an alarm or a call for help. Additionally, smart textiles can monitor the posture, movement, or activity of the wearer, and provide guidance or correction to prevent injuries or improve performance.

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Stephanie Steele

Textiles Sustainability Specialist | Organic Food Growing | Food-Fibre-Fashion Communicator
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For aging populations who use technology everyday, then smart textiles that monitor a person's vital signs etc would be useful. However, for the current aging population, it could be confusing in an already exacerbated situation. The item would likely need to change - textile, clothing or accessory - dependent on what was being monitored, and so designed with the specific person's needs in mind, as if it were an artifical limb, for example. Smart textiles that detect events and trigger an alarm could provide relative safety, if they were designed in a way that wasn't cumbersome, and similarly programmed with information supportive to those needs, not simply another poorly intuited design.

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3 Mobility and assistance

One of the major challenges for aging and disabled populations is to maintain or improve their mobility and functional abilities, which can affect their quality of life and independence. Smart textiles can provide assistance and support to the wearer, by enhancing their strength, balance, or coordination. For example, smart textiles can use actuators, such as motors, pneumatics, or shape memory alloys, to create wearable exoskeletons or robotic suits that can assist the wearer in walking, standing, or lifting. Alternatively, smart textiles can use haptic feedback, such as vibration, pressure, or heat, to guide the wearer in navigation, orientation, or rehabilitation. Furthermore, smart textiles can use adaptive materials, such as electroactive polymers or magnetorheological fluids, to change their stiffness, shape, or size according to the wearer's needs or preferences.

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4 Independence and communication

One of the main goals of supporting the health and well-being of aging and disabled populations is to enable them to live independently and communicate effectively with their family, friends, or caregivers. Smart textiles can facilitate this by providing access and control to various devices, services, or information through the fabric. For example, smart textiles can use touch-sensitive fibers, capacitive sensors, or RFID tags to create wearable interfaces or keyboards that can control smartphones, computers, or smart home appliances. Alternatively, smart textiles can use LEDs, OLEDs, or electroluminescent materials to create wearable displays or indicators that can show messages, images, or emotions. Moreover, smart textiles can use wireless communication technologies, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or NFC, to connect the wearer with other smart textiles, devices, or networks.

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5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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How can smart textiles support the health and well-being of aging and disabled populations?

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1 Comfort and temperature regulation

2 Safety and monitoring

3 Mobility and assistance

4 Independence and communication

5 Here’s what else to consider

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