PFI: BIC Wearable Smart Textiles Based on Programmable and Automated Knitting Technology for Biomedical and Sensor Actuation Applications

许多医疗状况将受益于连续的患者监测和治疗，尽管由于当前医疗设备的笨重性质，这在当前是不切实际的。专业材料和制造技术的最新进展为创造无缝服装提供了令人兴奋的机会，作为生物医学应用的传感器和执行器。针织制造，被称为纱线相互啮合成环（导致织物），是一种古老的纺织品生产形式，广泛应用于时装业。针织技术在可穿戴电子领域获得了极大的关注，并可能成为未来智能纺织品的广泛构建方法。在这个来自德雷克塞尔大学的PFI：BIC项目中，目标是用一系列轻便的智能服装取代目前笨重的医疗监测设备。这些服装的纤维含量将类似于通常用于活动服装的纤维含量，例如芯吸聚酯，以确保透气性和舒适性，而由智能材料制成的致动器和传感器将被战略性地放置在服装中，仅占所使用材料的一小部分。该项目将利用与基于织物的连接器、微波天线、超级电容器和机器人技术有关的知识产权，将智能织物传感器和致动器集成到舒适的服装中，提供目前不可能实现的不显眼的传感和治疗选项。对于纺织通信，有源和无源收发器将通过编织不同的微波结构来制造。这些编织微波结构也将沿着无源RFID信号的处理，以创建机械应变传感器。机械驱动将通过利用形状记忆合金的针织机器人技术来实现。针织天线将与针织超级电容器相结合，为身体区域传感器网络创建无线电力系统。与患者和医疗保健从业人员的焦点小组将确定市场需求。原型服装将与样本目标用户进行beta测试。工业合作伙伴将提供原材料、制造建议和商业化专业知识。关键是Drexel大学的Shima Seiki针织技术，该技术能够在设计和制造可穿戴和可机洗智能（集成电源和电路）纺织品方面实现定制和创新，这些纺织品能够实现无线传感和驱动治疗应用。作为该项目重点的目标应用将包括用于怀孕期间子宫收缩监测的“腹带”、医疗传感器贴片和用于治疗按摩的针织机器人。德雷克塞尔大学已经形成了一个跨学科的学术团队，包括工业和时装设计，材料和电气工程，护理和医学，以及管理和创业的专业知识。为了补充这一学术团队，已经形成了代表所有生产和商业化水平的三级行业合作伙伴关系。材料供应商层包括EY Technologies（小型企业，马萨诸塞州福尔里弗），定制工程集团为开发专用纱线提供创造性解决方案，从而为新型生物医学智能纺织品创造具有独特功能的原材料。制造层包括Shima Seiki USA（新泽西州门罗镇的大型企业），该公司是3D针织模拟软件和电脑针织机的领导者，可在实验室和生产规模上制造生物医学智能纺织品。最后，在商业化层面，由Drexel Coulter转化研究计划的工业咨询委员会增强的NetScientific America（小型企业，Harrison，NY）将帮助确定各种生物医学智能纺织品解决方案的商业可行性，并将有前途的技术推向市场。本富兰克林技术合作伙伴/东南PA（非营利，费城，PA）将作为一个更广泛的背景下的合作伙伴，建立在启动大学/行业合作伙伴关系的经验，加速科学发现的商业化和播种区域倡议，加强区域创业社区。

Many medical conditions would benefit from continuous patient monitoring and treatment, although this is currently impractical due to the cumbersome nature of current medical equipment. Recent advancements in specialized materials and fabrication technologies offer exciting opportunities to create seamless garments as sensors and actuators for biomedical applications. Knitting fabrication, known as the intermeshing of yarns into loops (resulting in fabrics), is an ancient form of textile production widely used in the fashion industry. Knitting technology has gained a great deal of attention in the field of wearable electronics and could become a widespread method of construction for smart textiles in the future. In this PFI:BIC project from Drexel University, the aim is to replace current bulky medical monitoring devices with a line of lightweight smart garments. The fiber content of these garments will be similar to those commonly used in active wear such as wicking polyester to insure breathability and comfort, while the actuators and sensors, made of smart materials, will be strategically placed in the clothing to comprise only a small percentage of the material used. The project will leverage intellectual property pertaining to fabric-based connectors, microwave antennas, super capacitors, and robotics, to integrate smart fabric sensors and actuators into comfortable clothing, providing unobtrusive sensing and treatment options that are not currently possible. For textile communication, active and passive transceivers will be fabricated through knitting of different microwave structures. These knit microwave structures will also be used along with processing of passive RFID signals to create mechanical strain sensors. Mechanical actuation will be realized through knit robot technology making use of shape memory alloys. The knit antennas will be combined with knit supercapacitors to create wireless power systems for body area sensor networks. Focus groups with patients and healthcare practitioners will determine market needs. Prototype garments will be beta tested with sample target users. Industrial partners will provide raw materials, manufacturing advice, and commercialization expertise. Key is Shima Seiki knitting technology at Drexel University, which enables customization and innovation in the design and fabrication of wearable and machine washable smart (with integrated power and circuitry) textiles capable of wireless sensing and actuated treatment applications. Target applications that are the focus of this project will include a "bellyband" for uterine contraction monitoring during pregnancy, medical sensor patches, and knit robots for therapeutic massage. Drexel University has formed an interdisciplinary academic team including expertise from industrial and fashion design, materials and electrical engineering, nursing and medicine, as well as management and entrepreneurship. To complement this academic team, a three-tier industry partnership representing all levels of production and commercialization has been formed. The Material Suppliers tier includes EY Technologies (small business, Fall River, MA), custom-engineering groups providing creative solutions for the development of specialized yarns allowing for the creation of raw materials with unique functionality for novel biomedical smart textiles. The Fabrication tier includes Shima Seiki USA (large business, Monroe Township, NJ), a leader in 3D knitting simulation software and computerized knitting machines to manufacture biomedical smart textiles at both laboratory and production scale. Finally, in the Commercialization tier, NetScientific America (small business, Harrison, NY) augmented by the industrial advisory board of the Drexel Coulter Translational Research program will help determine commercial viability of various biomedical smart textile solutions and carry promising technologies to the market. Ben Franklin Technology Partners/Southeastern PA (non-profit, Philadelphia, PA) will serve as a broader context partner building upon experience in launching university/industry partnerships that accelerate scientific discoveries to commercialization and seeding regional initiatives that strengthen the regional entrepreneurial community.