Smart textile lighting/display system with multifunctional fibre devices for large scale smart home and IoT applications

A large scale approach for multifunctional smart display systems in traditional textiles has yet to be demonstrated. Here, authors present a foldable, rollable 46-inch smart textile lighting/display system for smart homes and internet of things applications via the systematic design and integration of versatile fibre devices into textile form factors. Smart textiles consist of discrete devices fabricated from-or incorporated onto-fibres. Despite the tremendous progress in smart textiles for lighting/display applications, a large scale approach for a smart display system with integrated multifunctional devices in traditional textile platforms has yet to be demonstrated. Here we report the realisation of a fully operational 46-inch smart textile lighting/display system consisting of RGB fibrous LEDs coupled with multifunctional fibre devices that are capable of wireless power transmission, touch sensing, photodetection, environmental/biosignal monitoring, and energy storage. The smart textile display system exhibits full freedom of form factors, including flexibility, bendability, and rollability as a vivid RGB lighting/grey-level-controlled full colour display apparatus with embedded fibre devices that are configured to provide external stimuli detection. Our systematic design and integration strategies are transformational and provide the foundation for realising highly functional smart lighting/display textiles over large area for revolutionary applications on smart homes and internet of things (IoT).

Automated summary

This study presents a foldable, rollable smart textile lighting/display system that integrates multifunctional fiber devices into textile form factors. The system is flexible, bendable, and capable of touch sensing, photodetection, environmental/biosignal monitoring, and energy storage. This innovative design provides the foundation for highly functional smart lighting/display textiles with revolutionary applications in smart homes and IoT.