Imagine an outfit that fits perfectly and eliminates the worry of sweat stains and body odor. Oh, and it plays your favorite music.
It's an idea that's not far off in the future.
New fabrics are being developed that can regulate body temperature, conduct electricity, play music, fight bacteria and odor, repel insects, soothe dry skin and have the capacity to custom shape themselves for your body. These new "smart fabrics" have medical and military purposes as well.
The Smart Shirt was originally developed about 15 years ago by Sundaresan Jayaraman, a professor at Georgia Tech. Smart shirts have flexible circuit boards woven into the fabric. Small sensors in contact with the skin send radio signals to the circuit board, where they are analyzed and transmitted to a control center.
Gwynedd Thomas, an Auburn University associate professor for polymer and fiber engineering, currently works with developing new nanotechnology, the science that created the Smart Shirt. She said the technology is currently marketed to the military, but could be available to the general public in the future.
The Smart Shirt monitors the body's vital signs. When a soldier is injured, the shirt monitors a change in body temperature, respiration or heart rate and automatically sends a signal back to headquarters. The wounded can be picked up within minutes and have a much higher chance of survival.
Another form of smart fabric has variations in optical properties. Some can transmit light from the front or back, making the wearer reflect their environment like a chameleon.
According to Thomas, smart fabric with optical properties is being seriously looked at by military research groups.