Innovation

Smart Fabric Reduces Injury and Speeds Recovery

American researchers have created a "smart" fabric that recognizes human actions. The development will help in medicine, recovery from severe injuries and the prevention of diabetic ulcers.
Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have created a fabric from "smart" textiles, which includes special plastic threads. During the thermoforming process, it melts a little, which improves the fit and accuracy of the sensors sewn into the fibers of the fabric. It was called 3DKnITS, from which scientists made a sports mat and "smart" shoes. The researchers also created a machine learning system to measure and interpret data from pressure sensors. The neural network recognized movements - walking, running, push-ups - performed by a person on a "smart" rug with an accuracy of 99.6%, and determined yoga poses with an accuracy of 98.7%. "Smart" textiles can be used in rehabilitation.
All over the world, developers produce "smart" clothes, for example, Adidas released talking sneakers that praise the wearer during a workout and scold them for being lazy. Google and Levi's introduced a chip that is sewn into clothes. It recognizes gestures and transmits information to the smartphone.