The smart textile can convert muscle movements into distinct electrical signals. Image courtesy of Jun Chen.
Using nanomagnet composites and conductive yarn, scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles have invented a smart textile that can sense and measure body movements—from muscles flexing to veins pulsing. The device is self-powered, stretchy (extending 3.5 times in length), durable, and waterproof, and it can be made with a sewing machine for a few dollars. It may one day aid clinicians in assessing muscle injuries and support patients’ recovery.
The smart textile is not technically made of fabric but has a cloth-like texture. It’s made of a nanomagnet-filled rubber patch that is roughly the size of 2 postage stamps. Using a sewing machine, the researchers stitched silver-coated conductive yarn onto the patch in a coil design. Mechanical forces, such as a finger tap, can deform the pattern of magnetic fields within the rubber, thus creating an electric current through the yarn.
The device is not only sensitive, but it’s also precise, detailing body movements down to each muscle group. Attaching the device to different body parts, researchers distinctly measured throat movements while drinking water, ankle movements while walking, and even monitored a person’s pulse from their wrist. When affixed to a person’s bicep, the device can show whether they are bending their arm or gripping their fist and to what degree or force. Based on these types of information, a clinician can find the Goldilocks zones to prevent over-excursion and encourage moderate activities, tailoring recovery and physical therapy goals for their patients.
