A Framework for Smart Textile Large Scale Consumer Research

Research Team

Lead Researchers:

• Wei Cao, Family and Consumer Sciences

• Xunfei Jiang, Computer Science 

• Nhut Ho, Mechanical Engineering

• Yi Cai, Family and Consumer Sciences

Collaborators:

Student Team:

• Yijing An, M.S. in Family and Consumer Science
• Akul Kumar, M.S. in Software Engineering
• Carl Austin Dimalanta, M.S. in Software Engineering
• Mohammad Shaik, MS in Computer Science
• Himanshu Kuma, M.S. in Software Engineering
• Daniel Carter, B.A. in Economics
• Georgina Argueta, B.S. in Public Health
• Helena Hill, B.S. in Public Health
• Xinyi Wang, B.A. in Arts
• Charne-lee Olkers, student athlete

Funding

• Funding Organization: CSUN College of Health and Human Development
• Funding Program: Other

Abstract

Smart textile products integrate the design research (environment and communication), physiology (human), and textile technology (E-textiles) all together. Most consumers would enjoy the advanced technology without compromising the mobility, comfort and fashion attributes much. Textile technological devices should not lose efficiency during the wear and care. However, smart textiles are blind to many consumers with no sufficient knowledge in wearable technology to understand and analyze the real-time vital signs. Limited study documented how these products meet consumers’ textile/clothing needs and keep their functions while overcoming wash and care issues. Therefore, the main goal of this research is to figure out: 1) the user-oriented/centered technology that reflects CSUN student-athletes’ latent smart textile needs through the wear test in smart textiles and users’ feedback in this wearable technology, 2) development of an application that communicates with smart textiles using the collected authorized data shared by users, then processes and stores the data securely, 3) deployment/application of a large-scale consumer research instrument based on the multi-method measurement of student-athletes’ wearing experience and user feedback. The study also targets gaining attention from apparel technologists, researchers, sponsors, government and professional organizations in order to improve the performance of smart textiles, from consumers and apps developers to expand the digital health applications.

Motivation/Research Problem

Smart textiles are textiles with added/improved function through the incorporated technology, such as built-in electronics and integrating microchips. With the aid of wearable devices and body sensor technology, textiles can sense stimuli (e.g., mechanical, thermal or chemical) from the body and outside environment. Some textiles only receive and store signals from stimuli; others will collect and process the information, then respond to the external impact. There are many innovative smart textiles available in the market. For example, HEXOSKIN smart garment is claimed to be comfortable and easy to use. The uses are limitless in Cardiology, Respiratory, Neurology, Pediatrics, Mental Disorders, Rare Diseases etc. Smart socks in Sensoria Artificial Intelligence Sportswear are announced to improve speed, pace, cadence and foot landing as compared to the shoes. However, these innovative wearable technologies and attractive advertisements are totally blind to most consumers who do not have sufficient knowledge in the various wearable technology involved or enough education in understanding and analyzing the real-time vital signs. Consequently, the consumers/athletes face many challenges in selecting, wearing and maintaining the products, in using the collected data to prevent any injuries/accidents in the training and competition, and in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Additionally, although the function of these smart textiles has evolved lately and continuously, limited research has been done to document consumers’ user experience in selecting, wearing and caring for these smart textiles, in reflecting their emotions during the wearing and in utilizing the collected data for additional health prognostics. In a conversation with the former CSUN Athletics Director, Mr. Bob Alejo, at the college Think-Tank team meeting in 2020, Mr. Alejo mentioned that the Athletic Department is having difficulties in screening and equipping the teams with appropriate high-performance smart textile products under a limited budget because they do not have an integrated tool to evaluate the tradeoffs among many factors, including performance, cost, comfort, durability etc. At the user level, among the 19 teams at CSUN’s athletic department, only student-athletes in the soccer team have tried to wear smart textiles (via donations) occasionally and reported that because of their lack of the knowledge in using real-time biometric data, they had difficulty in understanding the relationship among their human physiological reaction, performance elevation and comfort.