[Design and Technology] TEXTILES RELATED ARTICLE IN TODAYS AGE

[Susan Murphy]

HI ALL,
THIS ARTICLE WAS IN TODAYS AGE
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True blue 'smart' fabric more than just a high-tech yarn RACHEL WELLS
January 31, 2010
A DAY on the tools just got a whole lot sweeter for the nation's
tradesmen, thanks to a new range of ''smart clothing'' that combats body
odour. The workwear, by Australian company King Gee, uses nanotechnology
to absorb body odour.

The fabric is apparently so intelligent it can also differentiate between
a bad smell and a good one; it will absorb your body odour but not your
deodorant or aftershave.

While King Gee's range of ''smart'' shorts, shirts and trousers will be a
godsend for tradies, it also marks a new direction for the clothing
industry in general, which could soon be offering socks that mend
themselves, trousers that can power your iPod and luminous sleepwear you
can read by.

Already the multibillion-dollar intelligent clothing industry, which
incorporates smart fabrics and nanofibres as well as wearable technology,
has produced hundreds of smart-garment designs.

There's a shirt that rolls up its own sleeves when the wearer gets too
hot, a solar tie that charges your mobile phone, a suit with a built-in
iPod, clothes that can change colour, gloves with built-in heaters, a
shirt that enables you to be hugged via a mobile phone and a business suit
that claims to kill swine flu when it comes into contact with the fabric.

In Australia, the CSIRO is leading local small clothing research and
development.

The organisation's textile and fibre technology department in Geelong is
working on a range of intelligent textiles and garments, including
high-tech yarns made from carbon nanotubes which could eventually be used
to develop anti-ballistic and energy storing clothing for military
purposes; garments that can be tracked via GPS systems to help locate
wounded soldiers or missing miners; and clothes that can automatically
contract around a wound to prevent blood loss.

The team is also developing a range of garments with embedded wireless
sensors with a variety of sports and medical applications, including
remote rehabilitation and clothes that can notify nursing staff if a
patient falls over.

Dr Richard Helmer from the CSIRO says clothing is the perfect platform for
many new technologies. ''It makes sense to be able to integrate new
technologies and capabilities into our clothes,'' he says.

Council of Textiles and Fashion Industries of Australia executive director
Jo Kellock says many of the initial applications have been in the areas of
medicine, military and things like extreme sports, but as the research and
development progresses ''we will see it seeping through into mainstream
fashion as designers look for a competitive edge and as we begin to think
more about garment functionality and sustainability''.

Melbourne tailor Hemden makes waterproof suits using nanotechnology and
lanolin.

UK hosiery brand Aristoc has developed fashion tights infused with
fragrant oils, moisturiser and vitamins. Levi launched the world's first
iPod-enabled jeans and in February Adidas will launch a range of shoes
that double as an ''augmented reality'' game, where the sneakers are also
the game controllers.

Meanwhile, King Gee plans to increase its intelligent fabric range as the
technology becomes more affordable.

''One of the challenges with a lot of these treatments is that they're new
and a lot of R&D has gone into them, sometimes they can be very
expensive,'' says King Gee marketing and communications manager, Mirjana
Dujkovic.

''But as they become more available and affordable, I think we'll be
seeing a lot more of them in everyday brands,'' she says



Cheers

Sue Murphy

Design and Technology Teacher
Star of the Sea College
Box 7001, Gardenvale LPO
Brighton 3186

I can be contacted at school on 95966099

email: smurphy at starmelb.catholic.edu.au

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