Japan’s Technological Prowess Underpins Evolution
Cutting-edge technology, including digital technology, is gradually transforming fashion. Industrie 4.0, the manufacturing industry innovation movement originating in Germany, is attracting attention worldwide. Its influence is felt not only in the automotive and electronics industries, but has recently spilled over into the world of fashion.
The strengths of world-renowned Japanese corporations such as Toyota, Sony, Nikon and Nintendo lie in the excellent quality of their products, in addition to advanced technological prowess. This accumulated technological skill is the underlying strength of Japanese industries, and contributes in turn to the high-tech development of fashion.
What will this high-tech development in fashion bring about? One possibility is the evolution of textiles, leading to clothes that can function as electronic devices or sensors, or even generate power and emit light.
Japanese synthetic fibre manufacturers and computer companies, as well as universities and research institutions, all of which are world leaders in the realm of technology, continue to make advancements in the development of smartwear and smart textiles. They are coming very close to reaching the commercialisation phase for these products.
The digitalisation of textile printing, in other words the evolution of digital print, is one more realm where Japan’s high-tech manufacturers as well as printer manufacturers are taking the lead. In addition to the development of the necessary machinery, these manufacturers are also starting to provide new services unique to the digital industry that connect the retail and production sites.
Next-generation textiles that change our concept of clothing
Clothing and textiles can function as a biosensor or body sensory device, simply by being worn: extensive research is currently underway to develop just such smartwear and smart textiles. Next-generation textiles that go beyond the traditional concept of clothing only as form of protection or self-expression now have the potential to transform society dramatically.
Transforming apparel into a sensor for the measurement of biological information
In January 2014, TORAY INDUSTRIES INC., Japan’s premier synthetic fibre manufacturer, launched ‘hitoe’, a clothing capable of detecting biological signals. Developed in cooperation with Japan’s largest communications company, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT), the part of the shirt that comes into contact with the wearer’s skin has been fitted with a textile that plays the role of a sensor, measuring biological data conveyed through the skin.
Harnessing TORAY’s textile technology, the sensor is made from polyester nanofibres impregnated with a conductive polymer. Using these nanofibres enhances the adherence of the fabric to the skin, thereby improving the accuracy of the data.
hitoe apparel is able to measure the wearer’s heartbeat, record an ECG or EMG, and then transmit that data to a smartphone or other device using a compact terminal connected to the item of clothing. The technology has already been launched commercially in compression wear produced by sporting goods manufacturer GOLDWIN INC., and will be initially targeted at athletes.
Going forward, there are expectations hitoe technology will someday be applied for use in labour management. Demonstration experiments are being conducted using the apparel as a health and safety management tool for workers at construction sites and airports. In addition to application in the working environment, there are also plans to utilise the sensors at welfare facilities and for the monitoring of senior citizens.
Synthetic fibre manufacturer TEIJIN LIMITED together with university researchers has developed a piezoelectric fabric able to detect movements as electric signals. It can monitor sleeping conditions when used as a bed sheet, and assist in analysing motility when used in the soles of shoes, in addition to other personal uses. In the future, TEIJIN is also eyeing the possibility of applying the fabric for advanced uses such as the remote control of surgical operations
TEIJIN LIMITED together with university researchers has developed a piezoelectric fabric able to detect movements as electric signals.
Piezoelectric fabric harnesses the characteristics of polulacteide (PLA) fibres which emit signals when they change shape. These electric signals are then conveyed through conductive fibres placed along the PLA fibres, thereby detecting movement.
Three types of fabrics have been developed that enable the detection of movements such as the bending and stretching of the arms, twisting, slipping, and extension and contraction. There are plans to commercialise the fabrics for use in bedding as early as 2016. Other than acting as a sensor for the capturing of movement, the technology also serves as an actuator that operates through the use of electrical energy. The developers are currently exploring a variety of applications, ranging from audio speakers to advanced medical uses.
Solar power generation through textiles
The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Japan’s largest public research institution, has developed a transistor highly resistant to pressures such as stretching, bending, twisting, compression and shock. Without using hard materials such as metal, its functions have been realised through the application of soft carbon materials including rubber, gel, and carbon nanotubes.
When attached to clothing, the transistor tracks bodily movements and reduces stress during wear. It also boasts a strong washing durability. In the future, by applying the technology to clothing, etc., there are high expectations for its use in systems for the measurement of biological information such as heartbeats.
In addition, the Industrial Technology Center of Fukui Prefecture has developed a solar-power generation textile through cooperation with a private-sector party.
Spherical solar cell elements measuring 1-2mm in diameter, developed by Sphelar Power Corporation, are arranged in a row, and tape-like conductive threads are then used as the weft of the fabric and are woven into the textile on both sides of the elements.
The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Japan’s largest public research institution, has developed a transistor highly resistant to pressures such as stretching, bending, twisting, compression and shock. (AIST)
Through its cooperation with corporations from Fukui Prefecture specialising in synthetic textiles, the Industrial Technology Center of Fukui Prefecture has also engaged in joint development with Matsubun Textile Co., Ltd., URASE Co., Ltd., and the University of Fukui, in addition to Sphelar Power Corporation. It is anticipated the product will be useful in applications such as the roofs of outdoor tents, and the Center’s goal is to achieve the commercialisation of the technology within three years’ time.