Projects developing enabling technologies
The smart textiles system consists of two types of materials, the textile and the electronics. While textile materials and structures are soft, pliable and flexible electronics are hard and brittle. Since the integration of electronics into textile structures is crucial in a smart textile system the development of new technologies that enables the convergence between textile and electronics is required. Another challenge in these projects has been to make use of the already developed sensor technologies in the field of electronics and investigate of these sensors could be applied and integrated in textile structures.
STELLA PROJECT
The objective of the Stella project [Stella] is the development of stretchable electronics for large area application for use in health care, wellness and functional clothes and for integrated electronics in stretchable parts and products. Stretchable electronics includes the integration of electronic components, energy supply, sensors and actuators or display and switches on a stretchable substrate with stretchable conductors. The main technologies that were developed in the project as new stretchable substrate with stretchable conductors, assembly technologies in stretchable substrates and finally integration methods for electronics products, figure 3.