Characterisation of transmission of digital signals trough stainless steel conductive thread embroidered in T-shirts

Sabin Banuleasa, Radu Munteanu Jr., Alexandru Rusu, Dan Iudean, Alecu Mihnea

Abstract

This paper studies the electrical properties of ultra-thin stainless steel conductive thread wires embroidered into cotton. This study investigates the possibility to use the wires as interconnects between electrical modules that are measuring the human body’s electrical signals. The focus is on using common and commercially available materials and parts in order to demonstrate the feasibility and easiness of supplying power and digital signals to devices integrated into common clothing, such as a cotton Tshirt. In order to get as close as possible to real world scenarios, ex. where an athlete can wear this T-shirt, several tests have been identified, like causing mechanical strain and shearing, using salt water to simulate heavy perspiration and putting in parallel uninsulated signal transmission lines to determine the data loss rate. The goal of the study is to prove that uninsulated conductive stainless steel embroidered wires are a solution to today’s needs for interconnecting devices in clothing and also to come forward with improvements that can be brought to future developers of such systems.

Keywords

textile wires, stainless steel conductive thread, wearable electronics, embroidered wires, Internet of Things,

Download

IMEKO-TC4-2017-073.pdf

DOI

-

IMEKO TC

TC4 - Measurement of Electrical Quantities

Back to the proceedings