Smart Fabric Sensors for Wearables Inspired by Musical Instruments

Consumer and healthcare wearable electronics have been in the news a lot lately. At last week's Pacific Design & Manufacturing Show, MD&M West, and co-located events in Anaheim, Calif., you could see fasteners and materials made just for wearables. Design News has also covered a range of smart fabrics made for these ubiquitous devices, including one that integrates both actuators and sensors, one that could power an iPhone, and a solar cell that can be woven into energy-harvesting fabrics.

Next month, BeBop Sensors will be showcasing its wearable sensor technology at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The company's claim to fame is the multiple dimensions its sensors measure: force, location, size, twist, bend, stretch, and motion. Sensors, traces, and electronics are integrated into a smart fabric, and continuous data is displayed in 3D maps. The technology is designed for a variety of wearables, including shoes, clothes, sporting gear, and healthcare devices, as well as aerospace, automotive, and industrial uses. BeBop's smart fabric sensors leverage technology deployed for several years in KMI's musical instrument sensors.

An article in our sister publication, EE Times, tells more about the new technology. Here's the full story: Wearables Don Smart Fabrics

Ann R. Thryft is senior technical editor, materials & assembly, for Design News. She's been writing about manufacturing- and electronics-related technologies for 25 years, covering manufacturing materials & processes, alternative energy, machine vision, and all kinds of communications.