Textronics-A Review of Textile-Based Wearable Electronics

Textronics contribute a significant part of Internet-of-Things (IoT), which empowers added functionalities by connecting smart clothing in a secure way for diverse applications. For the development of flexible and stretchable textile-based electronics, a conductive material (yarn, fabric, etc.) must be used, and fabrication techniques play a vital role that significantly influences electronic textiles' properties. Textile-based sensors, electrodes, and other devices seem to be the favorite choice for continuous wearable monitoring due to their low cost, flexibility, and ease of embedding. Integrating smart capabilities into textiles provides substantial benefits in the fields of healthcare, sports, automobile, and military. These developments have a profound influence on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). This Review presents an in-depth study of the current state of the art in the area of textile-based electronics. The design, development, and evaluation techniques are discussed. Certain limitations and research gaps are also addressed regarding this emerging field. Critically, this Review is more application focused and indicates how the recent developments in electronic textiles will soon impact our lives. As these areas have typically been neglected in previous reviews, additional knowledge to the existing literature is provided by bridging the gap between the academic research and commercialization of wearable Textronics.

Automated summary

Textronics play a significant role in IoT, healthcare, sports, and other fields with broad market prospects. However, there are still some limitations and research gaps in the field of textile-based electronics, and further exploration of related technologies is needed.