Team develops washable touchless textile technology

A team of researchers from Nottingham Trent University, Germany’s Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, and Italy’s Free University of Bozen-Bolzano created the washable and durable magnetic field sensing electronic textiles, which they said paves the way to transform use in clothing.

In a new study published in Communications Engineering, the researchers reveal how flexible and highly responsive magnetoresistive sensors can be placed within braided textile yarns compatible with conventional textile manufacturing.

In a statement, corresponding author Dr Theo Hughes-Riley, based in Nottingham Trent’s Advanced Textiles Research Group, said: “Electronic textiles are becoming increasingly popular with wide-ranging uses, but the fusion of electronic functionality and textile fabrics can be very challenging.

“Electronic textiles have evolved and now rely on soft and flexible materials which are robust enough to endure washing and bending, but which are intuitive and reliable.”

The textile can be operated by the user across a variety of functions through the use of a ring or glove which would require a miniature magnet.