Interactive and experiential design in smart textile products and applications

The technical textiles industry in the USA and the EU is growing. As we advance into the knowledge age, objects and material technology will disappear into our material environment, turning unintelligent objects into active and intelligent participants in our lives. As much of our environment is made up from textile materials, they will be the targets of smart engineering. The future of smart textiles will rely on the convergence of electrochemistry and textiles in order to process electronic polymers into fibres and fabrics. The integration of smart functionality into clothing and other textile products will radically change the culture surrounding these products, fundamentally altering people's relationships with them and the way they use them. Smart functionality will also have an impact on the way products are designed and the materials developed.