Core/Sheath Cover Yarn Fabrics for Electronic Textiles

"To develop a revolutionary approach to how textiles and electronics are used and integrated into large area military applications, it is imperative to develop and characterize techniques for incorporating sensors, actuators, logic, and power sources intotextile fabrics. With ten years of advanced materials, electronics and fiber optic sensor experience Luna Innovation's is uniquely qualified for this task. Luna's partner -the Institute of Textile Technology-brings 57 years of industrial textile researchexperience to the team. This proposed project will demonstrate the ability to incorporate fiber optic sensors and fine metallic wire into three types of textile fabrics-Bedford cord, pique weave and double weave. These fabrics are chosen for (1) theirability to protect the conducting fiber (2) their cost effective manufacturing process and (3) the variety of yarns that can be used in the fabric. Electronic textiles are valuable where large area, flexibility, and conformability are of greater importancethan high-speed performance or packaging density. Applications of this technology are in carriers for physical sensors, smart clothes, chemical sensing, active surfaces, intelligent living spaces"