Wearables and Fabric-Based Research, Innovation and Technology Development for Canadian SMEs

百年学院、谢里丹学院、亨伯学院和大学健康网络风筝研究所将开展应用研究项目，支持中小企业为全球健康电子纺织品市场开发产品，并促进加拿大不断增长的电子纺织品行业的创新。这些学院是纤维(基于织物的研究)的成员，这是世界上第一个由世界康复科学领先者Kite领导的纺织计算技术的多机构研究、开发和商业化平台。电子纺织品将生物识别传感器、执行器、微型计算机、电路和电子设备等数字部件集成到织物中，为它们提供了数据收集、能量传输和通信等附加值。电子纺织品可以监测和交流血压、心率、出汗和体温，并收集数据为治疗提供信息，促进自我管理，并提供治疗方法，以减少疾病进展、就诊和住院。它们将实现医院外的虚拟护理，这对老年人和患有慢性病、残疾或神经疾病的人来说将是无价的。中小型企业已请求就加拿大电子纺织行业面临的问题提供支持，包括用于独特应用的传感器和执行器、灵活的组件、耐用的低成本产品、能量收集、美学、生态设计、数据安全和保障以及可靠的数据测量系统。将与9个合作伙伴在4个应用研究主题下的9个项目中处理部门挑战：1.传感器和执行器制造--智能纺织品开发2.设计优化、探索和先进制造--产品开发数据采集与分析、机器学习(ML)和人机交互4。临床环境中的验证和安全测试拥有电子纺织品开发所需的各种专业知识的多学科团队将设计、制造、测试和验证新技术，包括数字技术、电子、数据分析、工程(机械、计算机、生物医学)、快速原型、硬件和软件开发、人工智能、物联网、传感器集成、临床试验、监管要求、制造和商业化。合作伙伴拥有将项目成果推向市场的专业知识、制造能力和渠道，为加拿大带来就业、收入、健康、社会和经济效益。

Centennial College, Sheridan College, Humber College and the KITE Institute of the University Health Network will undertake applied research projects to support SMEs developing products for the global health e-textile market, and catalyse innovation in Canada's growing e-textiles industry. The colleges are members of FIBRE (FabrIc-Based REsearch), the world's first multi-institution research, development, and commercialization platform for textile computing technologies led by KITE, the world leader for rehabilitation science. E-textiles integrate digital components such as biometric sensors, actuators, minicomputers, circuits and electronics into fabrics, giving them added value such as data collection, energy transfer and communication. E-textiles can monitor and communicate blood pressure, heart rate, perspiration, and temperature, and collect data to inform treatment, promote self-management and deliver therapies to reduce disease progression, medical visits and hospitalization. They will enable virtual care outside of the hospital, which will be invaluable to the elderly and people living with chronic illness, disabilities or neurological disorders.SMEs have requested support with issues facing the e-textile industry in Canada, including sensors and actuators for unique applications, flexible components, durable low-cost products, energy harvesting, aesthetics, eco-design, data safety and security, and reliable data measurement systems. Sectoral challenges will be addressed in 9 projects with 9 partners under 4 applied research themes:1. Sensor & Actuator Fabrication - Smart Textile Development2. Design Optimization, Exploration and Advanced Manufacturing - Product Development3. Data Acquisition & Analytics, Machine Learning (ML) and Human-Computer Interaction4. Validation and Safety Testing in Clinical SettingsA multidisciplinary team with the range of expertise needed for e-textile development will design, fabricate, test and validate novel technologies, including digital technologies, electronics, data analytics, engineering (mechanical, computer, biomedical), rapid prototyping, hardware and software development, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, sensor integration, clinical trials, regulatory requirements, manufacturing and commercialization. Partners have the expertise, manufacturing capacity and channels to take the project outcomes to market, leading to jobs, revenue, and health, social and economic benefits to Canada.