WEAFING is a research project aiming to develop revolutionary smart textiles. These garments will contain flexible and wearable textile actuators and sensors, including control electronics. They are based on a new kind of artificial textile muscles: The yarns themselves are coated with electromechanically active polymers and contract when a low voltage is applied.

It is a research collaboration between the University of Twente, Cergy Paris Université, Linköping University, University of Borås, Elitac Wearables and WT | Wearable Technologies. Elitac Wearables’ role  is to develop the functioning demonstrator garment, and showcase a relevant application of the textile muscle. The garment should feel similar to normal clothing, and we will use e-textile techniques to achieve this.

Textile muscles offer a range of benefit over integrated electronics:

With these smart textiles we can generate completely new and different haptic sensations. In addition to vibrations, we can let the wearer feel soft pressure or a stroke, meaning we can access different receptors of the tactile sensory system. In consequence, these garments will let us communicate information via haptic feedback in more diverse ways.

Importantly, the textile muscles will also be softer and more pliable than traditional electronics, and light-weight. The fact that they can be seamlessly integrated into fabrics and garments will open up a myriad of new ways to design and produce wearable haptics.

Possible applications:

• Social communication
• A buddy locator for deaf-blind people
• Navigation for visually impaired people
• Posture correction
• Movement coaching in sports or wellness
• Enhancing virtual or augmented reality applications in gaming or for training purposes
• Stress reduction
• Adaptive furniture
• Various applications in the automotive industry