#Smart Textiles

2021-09-01

Smart surfaces create smarter HMIs, finds strategy analytics

Figure 1. BAPV Smart Wall (Image Source: Wikipedia)

Strategy Analytics - Smart surfaces and materials are the building blocks to smart buildings, smart transportation and smart cities. By integrating technology directly into the fabric of everyday objects such as walls, clothing and vehicles, the environment in which consumers operate will become inherently intelligent. While applications of smart technology can be far reaching, most focus is currently found within transportation, construction and healthcare industries.

Employing Smart Surfaces Maximizes Efficiencies of Operation in Construction, Transportation and Healthcare Industries

A new report from the Strategy Analytics’ User Experience Strategies (UXS) service, “Can smart surfaces create smarter HMIs? Advances & use cases”, highlights broad and specific advancements in smart surfaces and materials which have the most impact on future use cases for personal devices, smart home devices, the automotive industry, and as the technology continues to evolve.

Commented Diane O’Neill, Director UXIP and report author, "Smart surfaces and materials have the ability to collect information from embedded sensors that can be used to feed into AI, support big data and facilitate machine learning. All this working towards the goal of automating life and making the world a more efficient, safer and sustainable place to live. So, in almost every application, the purpose of a smart surface or textile is to save space, save cost, or simplify a process. Employing smart surfaces to replace cumbersome additions has opened new opportunities and many more use cases such as enabling advanced HMI, generating energy, and enabling infrastructure for ‘new’ technologies such as 5G, AI, cloud and edge computing.

Continued O’Neill, “Moreover, the application of smart surfaces in all industries works to enhance UX. This includes improving aesthetics, maximizing efficiencies of operation, self-cleaning, and privacy/sound reduction. Smart surfaces may also alleviate fears around usability, safety, and manufacturability through touch sensors with haptic feedback.

Added Lisa Cooper, Director UXS, “All new technologies take time to proliferate. But the forerunners of smart technology are wearables and touchscreens and specifically, the way in which users interact with these devices. Innovations around these concepts have resulted in the popularity of devices with specific HMI, and this lends itself perfectly to the acceptance and proliferation of future more innovative technologies that may be inherently ‘smart’.”

Textile Chemicals & Dyes: Innovation in Textile Chemistry moves into focus at Techtextil 2026

From PFAS-free finishes and water-saving dyeing technologies to advanced coatings and recycling-compatible formulations, innovation in textile chemistry is accelerating across the industry. Reflecting this development, Techtextil 2026 introduces Textile Chemicals & Dyes as a dedicated product segment, highlighting the growing role of chemical solutions in shaping the next generation of technical textiles.

textile.4U publishes special edition “Top 100 Textile Recycling Companies 2025”

With a comprehensive 176-page special edition, textile.4U is dedicating its latest issue entirely to one of the most dynamic and influential topics in today’s textile industry: textile recycling. The new issue, published exclusively in high-quality print, presents the Top 100 textile recycling companies researched and selected by TexData – organizations that already play a key role in the transition to circular textiles or are expected to have a significant impact in the near future.

Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024 signed by Governor

Senator Josh Newman (D-Fullerton) is proud to announce that Senate Bill 707 (SB 707), the Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024, has been signed into law by the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom. This groundbreaking legislation establishes the country’s first Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) textile recycling program, marking a significant step forward in the state’s efforts to combat waste and promote sustainability.

Modtissimo promotes sustainability with 28 coordinates in the Green Circle

Modtissimo is proving more and more to be a textile and clothing show that delivers the latest innovations in the area of sustainability, with the iTechStyle Green Circle being the main showcase for companies' creations. In this 60+4 edition, taking place on 12 and 13 September, 28 coordinates will be exhibited in a section organised by CITEVE and curated by Paulo Gomes.

Catching heart disease early with AI-based sensor system

It slips on like a normal vest: Fraunhofer IZM has created a smart sensor system in cooperation with the Charité and the Technical University of Berlin. The vest records a vast array of cardiovascular parameters, which an AI-based system uses to support medical diagnostics and spot potentially dangerous developments.

Intelligent textiles for construction, architecture and mobility: Smart Textiles User Forum in Stuttgart

When textiles are equipped with electronic components, conductive yarns and textile sensors, the application possibilities are almost unlimited. These high-tech textiles are a global growth market. In Stuttgart, manufacturers, users and researchers presented amazing examples of applications in construction, architecture and mobility. The appropriate standards ensure quality and safety.

DIENES at Techtextil 2026: Flexible pilot lines for bio-based fiber development

The growing relevance of bio-based materials in technical textiles is accompanied by increasing demands for reproducibility, high-quality data, and scalable process routes. Especially when working with cellulose and its derivatives, chitosan, lignin-based approaches, or bio-based PAN as a carbon-fiber precursor, R&D teams face variable feedstock quality, tighter process windows, and the need for reliable comparability across trials. This calls for flexible, data-driven experimental setups that can be reconfigured efficiently when recipes, solvents, and raw-material batches change.

Gunold showcases embroidery product range and services at Texprocess

At Texprocess 2026, GUNOLD will present numerous hands-on examples related to embroidery in Hall 8, Booth E20. The focus is on creative embroidery designs as well as the extensive product range of threads, nonwovens, and accessories for embroidery and embellishment. “Trade visitors can once again look forward to many new and creative embroidery designs. Of course, we will also showcase the matching products required to bring these ideas to life,” announces Marketing Manager Stephan Gunold.

A Powerful Opening: Global thought leaders launch the International Cotton Conference Bremen

The International Cotton Conference Bremen will open on 25 March 2026 in the Parliament building of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen with a keynote session of exceptional calibre. Distinguished international experts will set the stage for the conference by offering incisive perspectives on the most pressing challenges and the defining trends shaping the future of the global cotton trade. Their insights will span a broad spectrum — from geopolitically driven disruptions affecting global supply chains to the opportunities emerging from innovation-led agriculture capable of supporting a growing world population. Together, these opening keynotes will frame the dialogue of the conference, highlighting both the complexity of today’s market environment and the pathways toward a resilient and forward-looking cotton sector.