BSc Fashion Technology

Year of entry: 2023

Course unit details:
Sensors and Smart Textiles

Course unit fact file
Unit code MATS34701
Credit rating 20
Unit level Level 5
Teaching period(s) Semester 1
Offered by Department of Materials
Available as a free choice unit? No

Overview

Students will be introduced to the latest developments trends, the scientifc theoretical framework and operational principles , as well as the practical applications of smart textiles and sensors use in the textile industry.

Aims

The unit aims to:

provide a blend of scientific theoretical framemwork, latest developments and practical material in order to develop understanding and appreciation of smart electronic textiles (e-textiles) and sensors.  Students will be introduced to concepts and priciples of engineering e-textile from fibre, yarns, fabrics to wearable products, as well as the techniques which may be used to incorporate sensing capabilities into and obtain smart responses from textile products.  Various fibre types, yarns and fabric structures will be discussed and their effects on the performance of the resulting sensors will be explored. 

Requirements for the outputs from smart wearables and sensing devices will be considered in respect of interfacing with modern electronic equipment.  Laboratory work is designed to develop an understanding of the interactions of parameters which determine the performance of sensing elements which may be exploited in the design of textile products.  Group project is designed to develop sound understanding of the future trends and practical applications of smart textiles.

Learning outcomes

A greater depth of the learning outcomes will be covered in the following sections:

  • Knowledge and understanding
  • Intellectual skills
  • Practical skills
  • Transferable skills and personal qualities

 

Teaching and learning methods

This unit makes use of a variety of learning and teaching processes including:

Lectures, group projects, problem-based learning and laboratory testing work. Blackboard will be used to present lecture notes, supporting materials and a feedback test for the unit.  The lectures will develop the theoretical subject knowledge, whilst the tutorials and laboratory work will expand and evaluate the application and importance of different techniques.

Knowledge and understanding

  1. Demonstarte sound understanding of the scientific concepts, theoretical framemwork of engineering smart e-textiles
  2. Demonstrate an understanding of the transduction process
  3. Appreciate the operating principles of a wide range of conventional and textile-based sensors.

       d.  Select suitable transducers for particular applications and understand how they may be calibrated and  optimised for specific tasks.

Intellectual skills

  1. Critical analyze the latet technology development trends in smart e-textiles
  2. Design and debelop smart e-textile wearable products for the prupose to satisfy  consumers’ unfullfiled needs
  3. Relate the response of various materials to different types of stimulus. 

       d.Critically assess the implementation and performance of equipment based around a variety of transduction devices.

Practical skills

  1. Conduct group project to design smart e-textile product concepts for specific target consumers
  2. Conduct assessed experimental work to ascertain the performance of novel textile structures, sensing devices and chemical formulations

       c.Optimise the harnessing of such items in line with the programme specification learning outcomes

Transferable skills and personal qualities

  1. Use cross-disciplinary skills developed through project work
  2. Communicate using technical language appropriate to the fashion textile industry.

Assessment methods

Method Weight
Written exam 50%
Report 50%

Feedback methods

Written and oral.

 

Recommended reading

  1. Handbook of Smart Textiles, Ed. Xiaoming Tao; Publisher: Springer, ISBN 978-981-4451-45-1, 2015
  2. Smart Textiles: Past, Present, and Future, Lieva Van Langenhove, in Handbook of Smart Textiles, pp1036-1056
  3. Smart Textiles Standardisation, The technical workgroup CEN/TC 248 Textiles and textile products, WG 31 Smart Textiles, http://www.centexbel.be/smart-textiles-standardisation
  4. IEC SG 10 Smart wearable devices (2015) (also evaluating wearable electronic textiles)
  5. IEC TC124 Wearable Electronic Devices and Technologies (2017)
  6. ASTM D13.50 Smart textiles (2016)
  7. AATCC R111 Electronically integrated textiles (2016)
  8. Smart Textiles and Nano-Technology: A General Overview, Syduzzaman et al., J Textile Sci Eng 2015, 5:1
  9. Applications: Principles, Problems, and Perspective, Nanomaterials 2015, 5(3), 1493-1531; doi:10.3390/nano5031493, 2003

 

Journals:

Science, Nature,  Advance Materials, Small, IEEE Sensors Journal, ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, Journal of the Textile Institute, Macromolecules, Materials Letters, Nano Letters, Polymer, Smart Materials and Structures, Textile Progress, Textile Research Journal, Advanced Healthcare Materials …


 

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Lectures 20
Independent study hours
Independent study 180

Teaching staff

Staff member Role
Yi Li Unit coordinator

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