SeamSleeve: New technology to create garments that can sense, record body movements

To make clothes that can capture and record body movements, scientists from the University of Bristol and the University of Bath have collaborated in a new technology called 'SeamSleeve'.

According to a report by Interesting Engineering, with an aim to create digital clothing which can accurately sense and record body movements, conductive threads have been added into the seams of garments which can produce electrical circuits.

The resistance from these circuits changes according to the movements of the person wearing these clothes.

Trying to outperform devices which currently sense body motion like smartphones and smartwatches, this wearable technology aims to provide precise body movement information by efficient monitoring and analysis of physical activities.

According to the publication, a statement by the University of Bristol said that their study was presented in Copenhagen, Denmark, at the Designing Interactive Systems (DIS) conference.

The statement said, "It lays the foundations for e-textile designers and clothing manufacturers to create cutting-edge garments that could enhance exercise, physiotherapy and rehabilitation."

According to the publication, Professor Mike Fraser of the University of Bristol’s School of Computer Science said, "We’ve shown that common overlocked seams in standard garment constructions can do a good job of sensing movement. The design avoids the need for a separate power source by pairing the seam with a charging coil, drawing the energy wirelessly from a mobile phone placed in the pocket.”

Fraser also said that the resistance changes along with the wearer's movements when low voltage passes through the threads, which allows the cloth to sense and record movements in posture.

The recorded data is then transmitted to the wearer's mobile phone placed in the pocket.

According to the publication's report, Fraser said, "This means advanced motion sensing garments could be made without altering existing manufacturing processes."

"We have also shown that smartphone apps using advanced AI techniques can use this movement data to match body movement to specific postures or gestures such as physiotherapeutic exercises."