Volume 6, Issue 4, Fall 2010 Critical Review on Smart Clothing Product Development Minyoung Suh, Kate Carroll, and Nancy Cassill College of Textiles, North Carolina State University 2401 Research Drive, Raleigh NC 27695-8301 [email protected] ABSTRACT Review on historical development of smart clothing implies the most challenges in smart clothing product development, the research approaches under a bias towards technology. The perspectives of design research, physiological considerations, and textile technology are suggested as a framework to consider the multi-disciplinary nature of smart clothing. Current smart clothing products are reviewed based on the issues aroused in the product development process, which is how fashion and technology can coexist in functional clothing. Market segments for smart clothing are re-considered in order to accommodate the user requirements for smart clothing. Keywords: Smart textiles, textile technology Introduction diverse market segments is discussed with a Smart clothing is defined as a new brief identification of future research. garment feature which can provide interactive reactions by sensing signals, Historical Development of Smart processing information, and actuating the Clothing responses (Textile Institute, 2001). Similar In 1990s mainly for military use in terminology such as interactive clothing, United States and European countries, smart intelligent clothing, smart garment, and clothing has prospered in the field of smart apparel is used interchangeably medical and sportswear. Four different representing for this type of clothing. This stages were distinguished according to paper will use smart clothing but refer to all. historical innovations in research and The purpose of this paper is to development (R&D) and in the market conduct a critical review on the smart (Ariyatum et al., 2005). Significant advances clothing literature and its developmental in R&D and in textile and clothing market issues, focused on how fashion and are depicted chronologically in Table 1. technology can make harmonious coexistence in a functional apparel product. The multi-disciplinary strategies for smart clothing product development are investigated from the perspectives of design research, physiological considerations, and textile technology. Historical developments and current smart clothing development for Article Designation: Scholarly 1 JTATM Volume 6, Issue 4, Fall 2010 Table 1. History of Smart Clothing in R&D and Market 1980 1997 2001 2005 1ST STAGE 2ND STAGE 3RD STAGE 4TH STAGE ∙ Steve Mann, Cyberman ∙ Alexandra Fede with Du Pont ∙ Infineon Technologies, MP3 project and Mitsubishi player jacket ∙ Konarka Technologies and Textronics, ∙ MIT Media Lab., Lizzy ∙ SoftSwitch, Softswitch ∙ Tokyo Univ., Transparent Wearable power generator project technology Clothes project ∙ Idaho National Laboratory, Solar energy ∙ Sensatex, US military ∙ Tampere Univ., Intelligent R&D ∙ Information Society fabric project textiles survey Technologies, Wealthy project ∙ Philips Research, Vision ∙ Georgia Tech., Wearable of Future project Motherboard ∙ Bristol Univ., Sensory ∙ Eleksen, Fabric keyboard Fabric project Smart Textile ∙ SoftSwitch, Fabric Keyboard ∙ Eleksen, Logitech Keycase ∙ Fibretronic, ConnectedWear Market ∙ Philips & Levis, ICD+ Jacket ∙ Sensatex, Smartshirt ∙ North Face, Self-heating Jacket ∙ Levis, iPod jean ∙ Vivometrics, LifeShirt Smart ∙ Zegna, Bluetooth iJacket ∙ Burton, MD Jacket Clothing ∙ Zegna, Solar Jacket ∙ Burton, Amp Jacket Market ∙ Metallica, Metallica M4 Jacket ∙ GapKid, FM radio shirt ∙ Oakley, Solar beach tote ∙ Adidas, Self-adapting shoes Source: Ariyatum, B., Holland, R., Harrison, D., & Kazi, T. (2005). The Future Design Direction of Smart Clothing Development. Journal of Textile Institute, 96(4), 199-212. Fibretronic (n.d.). Wearables Reaches its 10th Year. Retrieved August 5, 2009, from http://fibretronic.com 2 Article Designation: Scholarly JTATM Volume 6, Issue 4, Fall 2010 First Stage, 1980s to 1997 devices the wearers are carrying. Previously, The concept of smart clothing has the flow of information was from users to been initiated from the idea of wearable the environment, but currently it became computer. Clothing is selected since it is the reverse or both directions. Wearable most universal interface between human and technology tries to accept, analyze, and computer that all are very familiar with. The transform information from environment to focus of first stage projects was computing assist the user. For example, smart clothing hardware in portable form merely to express attracts great interests to create renewable advanced technologies. The clothing and wearable energy sources from solar provided only a platform to support power or kinetic energy of the wearer. technological devices. Outcomes in this stage were portable rather than wearable and Framework not marketable at all. Smart clothing is understood as an object of interdisciplinary research from Second Stage, 1998 to 2001 different disciplines. It is important to The second stage could be review how researchers view smart clothing characterized by the fashion and textile as research objects and how different sectors joined in product development. The disciplines define the intelligence integrated number of collaborative projects between into the products on the basis of different electronic and fashion fields rapidly research paradigms. According to Textile increased. The collaboration between Institute (2006c), smart clothing is located Phillips Electronics and Levi Strauss in 1999 on the intersectional province of design was widely considered to be the very first research, physiology, and textile technology commercial wearable electronic garment. (Figure 1). The applications became more wearable, but Design research focuses on product they could not meet requirements of the development issues and includes the mass market. Most outcomes were still in objectives of environment and primitive level because technology was communication. The product development underdeveloped. process is important because redesign costs become higher as the process goes closer to Third Stage, 2002 to 2005 production, while costs to change designs While earlier smart clothing focused remain lower in development stages. on technical feasibility, product Physiological concerns are related closely to marketability attracted more interests during human factors such as sensory comfort and this stage. Many development teams realized mobility. Comfort includes psychological the needs for inputs from fashion industry and physiological aspects. Psychological and user requirements. The approach has aspects will be put aside in this paper, and changed from a technical concern to a user- human body and its reaction to centered one. Miniaturization of electronic environmental changes will be discussed devices created more opportunities to with the physiological considerations. achieve higher mobility and comfort, while Lastly, textile technology takes care of the technical functions kept increasing materials, which are e-textiles and the (Ariyatum & Holland, 2003). incorporation with the clothing. Compatibility of dissimilar properties in Fourth Stage, 2006 to current technology and clothing is the most Smart clothing for digital media challenge from textile point of view. The player approaches to market maturity. It was multi-disciplinary nature of smart clothing is remarkable that some of high fashion brands related to the integration of design research, jumped into smart clothing development physiology, and textile technology as (e.g. Zegna Sport). Intelligence of smart illustrated in Figure 1. clothing is not limited to manage personal Article Designation: Scholarly 3 JTATM Volume 6, Issue 4, Fall 2010 Figure 1. Multidisciplinary Approach to Smart Clothing Source: Textile Institute (2006c). Intelligent Textiles and Clothing (Mattila, H. Ed.), Florid: CRC Press. Design Research Samuel, 1989; Figure 2). It takes seven steps In business and engineering, new to identify users’ needs and develop a product development is the creation of product to meet identified needs. On the physical products or services to respond to other hand, Crawford and Di Benedetto customer needs (Ulrich & Eppinger, 2004). (2003) presented very managerial point of The ideas are transformed into reality view. The process begins with business through the product development process. It opportunity and existence of sales potential is a set of sequential activities and tasks rather than the problem recognition in their which translate customer needs into product new product development process model design. Design is creative, but the process (Figure 2). Other developmental and leading to successful designs can be made evaluative steps follow the business plan predictable and transparent (Regan et al., established at the early stage. 1998; Watkins, 1988). Research on the According to Crawford & Di product development process aims to Benedetto (2003) and DeJonge (1984), maximize the effectiveness of successful product development processes are product development by increasing overlapped and iterative. A loop structure is reliability of actions and decisions earlier in created by going back to any of previous the development process (Regan et al., steps until completion of a whole problem as 1998). Previously suggested models go well as a series of smaller associated through the five steps of idea generation, problems. The activities shown in Figure 2 design, prototype