In Cambridge, developed a fabric-based smart touchscreen
Thanks to modern technology, many of our everyday objects are becoming “smarter. Even ordinary textiles are no exception. A team of researchers from Cambridge University managed to create a 46-inch touchscreen made of fabric equipped with LEDs.
Compared to previous “smart” textiles, which were characterized by a single function (absorption of sunlight, response to touch and others), the new smart textile is multifunctional. It is based on fiber-based LEDs, which are activated by several input devices. These, in turn, are also composed of fibers and include various sensors that respond to light, temperature changes, touch, and others.
Smart textiles, depending on the input from these devices, display different “pictures,” allowing them to be used, for example, as curtains, touch screens, or carpets that are “turned on” by the energy of people walking on them.
Since the electronic component is embedded in the fibers, it is possible to weave almost any shape out of them. This is made possible by a special coating that provides additional stretch and a long service life.
The result is a unique “smart” textile that can be produced on an industrial scale to create a wide variety of end products.