Page 65 - TEXtalks. January-February 2023

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A new grading system for moisture Project Arrow Smart

management testing textiles with knitted sensors

Users can now be confident through the James Heal test method and grading system. UK-based textile testing and actuators
solutions provider James Heal has announced a revolutionary new grading system for moisture management
testing that literally turns the assessment of wicking behavior within a fabric on its head. A good wicking fabric or
textile needs to encompass characteristics that allow the movement of moisture effectively across a large area
using capillary action. This is incredibly important to the wearer's comfort and also safety in many circumstances
such as extreme heat or cold conditions.

The WickView instrument technology has advanced more quickly than the industry test standards, which use
basic distance and time as a measure to assess the spread of moisture, rather than the exact movement in
multiple directions.

James Heal has created a test method and system of grading to ensure systematic, accurate product testing in
laboratories, and a software system that also enables the sharing of data and real-time video footage recorded
of the actual test, electronically with colleagues or partners based in other locations. Results can be read
individually or in different combinations to suit the scope of the testing, enabling users to understand and
interpret their meaning in the context of the textile being tested, and where needed shared via email or online
with their customers such as retailers or brand owners.

The Project Arrow electric concept SUV Myant and Helly Hansen active thermal
workwear at CES 2023
Toronto-based Myant has knitted sensors and parts and components for its development.
actuators into the textiles enabling them to measure
This range of Helly Hansen garments is just one
Smart textile sensor for early vital signs including heart rate, respiration, and example of how closing the loop via textiles that both
temperature, and display readings on the steering
sense and react can change how workers stay safe
and productive. Myant and Helly Hansen are also
wheel. The idea is that in the event of a serious
detection of tuberculosis (TB) emergency such as a driver suffering a heart attack developing a safety shoe that can measure posture
at the wheel, the vehicle will eventually automatically
and conduct gait analysis in order to track, anticipate
and potentially prevent slips, trips, and falls on the job
program itself a route to the nearest hospital.
that continuously track ECG, heart rate variability,
Project Arrow, the electric concept SUV made by site. Another application will be connected garments
Textiles are no more commodity items. With each passing day, technological advancements are taking members of Canada’s Automotive Parts Manufactur- movement, and other measures to assess worker
textiles to a new level. Textile-based smart sensors are the perfect example of these rapid developments. ers’ Association (APMA) was unveiled at the recent fatigue, enabling enterprises to potentially prevent tired
Scientists are developing a low-cost smart textile sensor for early detection of tuberculosis in people and Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas workers from hurting themselves or others.
cattle which they hope will help tackle the spread of the disease in Asia and Africa. (January 5-8). Among its many innovations, Project
Arrow’s textured steering wheel is fitted with Myant Active thermal workwear is one of the first applica-
The Nottingham Trent University project – the first of its kind – aims to target disease transmission in farms smart textiles to continuously monitor the health of tions in Myant’s larger vision to transform the future
and farming communities in developing countries. The researchers are creating a smart textile wearable the vehicle’s driver. of work via textiles by forging a deeper connection
sensor that would alert the wearer to early-stage TB when detected in their sweat, along with a separate between workers and their bodies, their teams, the
sensor that would identify it in the saliva of cattle during the milking process. TB is caused by bacteria that Over the last three years, the project has received predictive power of AI, and their IoT-enabled work-
typically affects the lung and is a zoonotic disease, meaning it can be naturally transmitted from animals to over C$8 million of funding from several government places. The transformation of connectedness at work
humans. While human TB can be treated with antibiotics, this is not the case for cattle, and many countries bodies, including C$5 million from the Federal will ultimately create safer, healthier, and more
have poor detection systems and healthcare. Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario productive work environments, the company
(FedDev Ontario) and C$1.8 million from the Ontario believes. The garments, including a base layer top,
The Nottingham researchers aim to develop a cheap, biodegradable, and non-invasive device with a tiny Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN). Developed at the leggings, socks, a balaclava, and gloves, are
fabric strip sensor, about 0.1 mm thick, that would react with TB bacteria and give a reading of latent TB or Automotive Centre of Excellence in Oshawa, Project wire-free and embedded with textile sensors that can
nothing. The technology would help to reduce transmission among people in communities and enable Arrow has been called “the biggest industrial collabo- measure body temperature and react by actively
intervention through the early segregation of infected cattle, minimizing the risk of endangering and potential- ration project in Canadian automotive history”, with delivering heat through the textile to maximize
ly slaughtering other animals. 58 Canadian companies contributing to providing comfort and enhance productivity.

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