This white paper gives an overview on smart fabrics technology and the upcoming developments both on technological and economical scale. After some pioneering prototypes and presence of functional clothing everywhere the time has come for enhanced, active and connectable functionality becoming part of what we wear at work and at home in the coming years.
Although the development of smart fabrics for 2022 is hard to predict with precision, the development of integrated micro-electronics, the research and advances in smart materials, the growth and technical advances in IoT (Internet of Things) and finally the incredible advances in machine learning, is paving the way to the fast development of integrated smart fabrics, that are able to combine functionality and fashion, to enhance the human capabilities.
We believe that the emerging smart fabrics will become a fully integrated member in the connected eco-system built by IoTs, smartphones and watches, edge- and cloud-services to deliver a new and direct user experience during work and leisure.
In this paper a short historical overview will be given followed by state of the art introduction and a closer view on the application areas. In the final part the current market with the main players in this area is introduced.