Clevertex - Grado Zero Espace Srl

Against this background, the present report aims at giving an overview on the state of the art of
intelligent textiles worldwide. Research projects, which have been completed or are currently going on,
and the products that have already been commercialised on the market are identified and pointed out.
As the scale of the report is limited, it is neither possible to make acknowledgement to all the work that
has been done in either developing or using textile products and which is listed in the database, nor to
go to any depth. We hope that the drawing together of even this limited amount of material will be of
some use and hence we hope that the report will provide an opportunity to set a direction for future
research and technological development and to determine the priorities of research and product
development plans in research organisations, industry and policy decision makers.
In order to present an overview to which extent these principles are already applied in the textile and
clothing sector, three product groups will be considered: clothing, interior textiles and technical textiles.
1.1 Background
We are living in a knowledge driven society that is facing an increasing impact of science and
technology on all aspects of life through products and services, and consumer needs. The field of
smart textiles is not yet a discrete area; it is more an interdisciplinary subject incorporating science,
technology, design and human sciences, and its future lies in the potential of combining different
technologies. The convergence of textiles and electronics can be exemplarily pointed out for the
development of such an intelligent material that is capable of accomplishing a wide spectrum of
functions, found in rigid and inflexible electronic products today. Intelligent textiles will serve as a
mean to increase the well-being of society and they might lead to important savings on the health
budget. Moreover, they will increase consumption, as they are not only a high value product, but an
immaterial concept that satisfies the consumer needs and demands such as creativity and emotional
fulfilment.
Consequently, the CLEVERTEX project aims at contributing to the economic and social progress in
the European Union. Identifying areas of research in intelligent textiles at the earliest possible stage
may have a direct and positive impact on society. Within the scope of the project, a comprehensive
roadmap will be realised that provides a valuable tool for direction-setting in future research and
technological development in the field of smart textiles. Thus, it will provide a plan for transforming the
European textile industry in a knowledge driven, competitive and sustainable sector.
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