The list of companies involved in smart clothing is getting longer and longer.
According to Japanese media reports, Japanese chemical manufacturer Asahi Kasei announced that it will launch smart clothing that can obtain human body information as early as next summer.
To set this goal, Asahi Kasei holds two trump cards – its own research and development of conductive fiber products and the advantages of its American subsidiary ZOLL in the field of medical equipment. The latter mainly produces and operates life jacket-type automated external defibrillators and other emergency equipment. .
Zoll is currently developing technology to use the stretchable conductive fiber “Roboden” developed by Asahi Kasei for the manufacture of life jackets and to use automated external defibrillators based on human body information such as electrocardiograms. As a result, the smart clothing launched by Asahi Kasei is more suitable for first aid and disease management.
Paying attention to health and medical treatment is an important research and development direction and function setting of smart clothing.
The reason behind Asahi Kasei’s investment in smart clothing is that Japan’s domestic fiber market is saturated. Major fiber manufacturing companies are looking for new sources of income, and smart clothing is locked as a new market that can be cultivated.
According to data from the research company Data Resource, the smart clothing market size was 10 billion yen in 2015; in 2021, the market size may expand to about 400 billion yen. According to a report by Gartner, an American information technology consulting company, smart clothing shipments were almost zero in 2013 and 2014.
In addition to Asahi Kasei, Japanese chemical materials company Toray, Japanese fiber companies Kurashiki and Toyobo are also involved. Currently leading the way is Toray.
Toray and communications operator NTT jointly developed a new fiber material “hitoe” that can read weak electrical signals on the surface of the human body and monitor the human heart rate 24 hours a day. Services produced using this fiber are already on the market, mainly for sales to sporting goods companies, factories and hospitals that need to measure worker load in high-temperature environments.
The smart clothing of Kurashiki and Toyobo are still in the experimental stage. The former started cooperating with companies in the transportation industry in May to conduct verification tests of anti-heat stroke products. Similarly, the latter has developed a film product “COCOMI” that combines conductive materials and resin, and is also conducting functional tests to prevent bus and truck drivers from dozing off.
In fact, the emergence of smart clothing is closely related to consumers’ increased awareness of health and exercise. In the past few years, in order to better comply with this trend, sports brands have launched smart clothing that can monitor health data such as heart rate, blood pressure, exercise trajectory and muscle activation.
Nike launched the Nike+ series of smart equipment very early, and Adidas’ miCoach has also been used in professional football training. Kevin Plank, the founder of Under Armor, has also made it clear that the company’s two major future directions include smart sportswear for high-end users, and a fitness information and data platform for ordinary consumers.
At the 2014 U.S. Tennis Open, American clothing brand Ralph Lauren also unveiled its first smart wearable device, ThePoloTech Shirt. The fabric of this product contains silver silk threads and comes with a Bluetooth sensor that can sense the user’s heartbeat, calculate the amount of exercise and calorie consumption, and synchronize it to the iOS system. A year later, the brand began mass production of The Polo Tech Shirt, priced as high as $295, mainly for mid-to-high-end sports enthusiasts.
There are also businesses that set the research and development direction of smart clothing outside of medical care and sports. Last summer, Google teamed up with clothing brand Levi’s to create a smart denim jacket that can perform call playback, smart navigation and other functions.
The comfort of the fabric, the perfection and sustainability of the functions, whether the clothes can be washed and re-worn many times, and whether the price is “friendly to the people” are the key factors affecting the popularity of smart clothing.
We have reason to believe that as more and more companies in related fields join, the development speed of the smart clothing field will be effectively promoted.
Source: Pacific Computer Network
Extended reading: https://www.yingjietex.com/product/Polyester-Thread-OXFORD-Fabric.html
Extended reading:https://www.yingjietex.com/product/FULL-DULL-NC-TWILL-Fabric.html
Extended reading:https://www.yingjietex.com/product/jacquard-Oxford-fabric.html
Extended reading: https://www.alltextile.cn/product/product-1-58.html
Extended reading: https://www.alltextile.cn/product/product-19-981.html
Extended reading: https://www. yingjietex.com/product/Full-dull-Nylon-Twill-Taslon-Breathable-Fabric.html
Extension�Read: https://www.china-fire-retardant.com/post/9394.html
Extended reading: https://www.alltextile.cn/product/product-3- 610.html
Extended reading: https://www.alltextile.cn/product /product-67-229.html
Extended reading: https://www. alltextile.cn/product/product-36-562.htm
