Washable Stretchable Electronics for Medical Wearables
Innovative Research in Washable Stretchable Electronics for Medical Wearables
We are excited to share that MTIF researchers, Jessica Stanley, John Hunt and Yang Wei, have successfully developed cutting-edge flexible textile electronics. As a result of their hard work, their research has been featured in Electronics Weekly, highlighting ground-breaking advancements in washable stretchable electronics for medical wearables.
The research team from MTIF and Nottingham Trent University has explored the potential of 4mm diameter elastomer fibres as a promising substrate for electronics embedded in clothing. This innovative approach involves creating electronic fibres by helically winding a long, thin flexible PCB around the elastomer core, with the components facing inward.
Jessica Stanley, a researcher at MTIF and NTU, explained, “The basic idea has been around for centuries – it’s the same concept as taking a metal wire and making it stretchy by winding it into a spring. While helices have already been used in stretchable electronic devices, what sets our work apart is that strips of flexible circuitry containing complex circuits are wound into a helix, allowing the entire circuit to stretch.”
The research team has developed prototypes with various PCB widths and helix angles around fibres of different diameters and physical properties, using multiple adhesives. They found that cores of around 4mm diameter and winding angles of approximately 30° strike the best balance between stretch and durability, capable of withstanding thousands of stretching cycles and multiple wash cycles.
The project utilized hollow transparent silicone tubing as a core for circuits with multiple LEDs, while lower-profile components such as thermistors were wrapped around solid rubber cores. A flexible cyanoacrylate adhesive served as an effective bonding medium in many scenarios.
Yang Wei, an electronic engineer and fellow researcher, stated, “We have been able to show the potential for a new form of 3D helical strip for embedded electronics in e-textiles. This opens up a range of possibilities for e-textiles in healthcare and sports settings.”
This collaboration with industry partner Kymira has resulted in a patent for their innovative design. The findings have been published in Scientific Reports on Nature.com under the title “Stretchable electronic strips for electronic textiles enabled by 3D helical structure,” available to read for free. This publication details the successful aspects of their research, as well as the challenges faced and the associated failure modes.
We are proud of our researchers’ contributions to advancing technology in medical wearables and look forward to seeing the impact of this work in the field. Check out the video below and the full article on Electronics Weekly.