Newswise — Scientists have developed a groundbreaking smart textile using nanomagnets composites and conductive yarn. This innovative fabric, featured in the journal Matter on June 27, possesses remarkable capabilities—it can detect and measure various body movements, ranging from muscle flexing to vein pulsing. Remarkably, this self-powered textile is stretchy, durable, waterproof, and can be manufactured inexpensively using a sewing machine. In the future, this technology could prove invaluable in assisting clinicians with muscle injury assessment and aiding patients in their recovery process.
While the smart textile resembles fabric, it is not composed of traditional fibers. Instead, it consists of a nanomagnet-infused rubber patch, roughly the size of two postage stamps. By utilizing a sewing machine, the researchers intricately stitched silver-coated conductive yarn onto the patch in a coil design. Mechanical forces, such as tapping with a finger, cause the magnetic field pattern within the rubber to deform, resulting in the generation of an electric current through the yarn. These two phenomena, known as the magnetoelastic effect and electromagnetic induction, enable forces that alter magnetic fields and magnetic flux variations to generate electricity.
Jun Chen (@JunChenLab) from the Department of Engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles, the senior author of the study, explains, "Our device exhibits exceptional sensitivity to biomechanical pressure. It converts muscle activities into precise and measurable electrical signals, which are then transmitted wirelessly to smartphone applications. This breakthrough showcases the potential for personalized physical therapies and the enhancement of muscle injury rehabilitation."
The device not only exhibits remarkable sensitivity but also boasts impressive precision, capable of capturing detailed body movements down to specific muscle groups. By attaching the device to various body parts, researchers successfully measured throat movements during drinking, ankle movements while walking, and even monitored pulse rate from the wrist. When attached to the bicep, the device can accurately detect and quantify actions such as arm bending and fist gripping, providing insights into the degree and force applied. This valuable information allows clinicians to identify optimal ranges of motion to prevent excessive strain and promote moderate activities, enabling them to tailor recovery goals for their patients.
To evaluate the device's functionality, Chen and his team subjected it to rigorous testing. They simulated real-world conditions, including excessive sweating and heavy rain, by spraying water on the device, while monitoring its signal output. Remarkably, the device maintained strong signals even when wet. In addition to being waterproof, the device exhibits excellent stretchability and durability, extending up to 3.5 times its original length and enduring 100,000 cycles of deformation. From a production standpoint, Chen highlights that the device is easy to fabricate and highly scalable, with each patch estimated to cost less than $3.
Chen further emphasizes another notable feature of the device—its self-powering properties. He explains, "The device's ability to convert biomechanical force into electricity renders it a self-generating power source. This eliminates the need for bulky, heavy, and rigid battery packs typically required in wearable electronic designs."
Moving forward, the research team aims to enhance the smart textile by making it thinner and lighter, thereby optimizing the wearer's comfort and overall experience. Building upon their discovery of the magnetoelastic effect in soft systems in 2021, Chen and his team also intend to investigate novel methods of integrating this knowledge into other wearable or implantable bioelectronics.
Chen states, "We have also conducted tests on using the device for cardiovascular and respiration monitoring. In the future, there is potential for us to revolutionize or even replace existing systems, such as EKGs, which currently rely on external power sources. Our goal is to create more compact and wearable alternatives."
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This work was supported by the University of California, Los Angeles; the Hellman Fellows Research Grant; the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation Young Investigator Grant; and the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
Matter, Xu et al. “A textile magnetoelastic patch for self-powered personalized muscle physiotherapy” https://cell.com/matter/fulltext/S2590-2385(23)00294-1.
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