Development of user interaction(UI)-based electrical heated clothing incorporating knitted jacquard pattern for the elderly

Abstract

Electrical heated clothing (EHC) is a revolutionary concept that combines garment with electrical technology to create garments capable of actively regulating and providing warmth to the wearer, especially for the elderly. To develop an EHC for the elderly with both aesthetics and functionality, the technique of knitted Jacquard is employed for fabrics and Bluetooth module is applied to realize user interaction (UI) design. Firstly, 16 different heated fabrics were fabricated by choosing different silver-coated yarns and knitted Jacquard patterns. The heating temperatures of the fabrics were simulated, and the actual heating performance was observed through infrared thermal image. Suitable materials and patterns were selected to produce the EHC. Secondly, in order to meet the demands for the elderly, a prototype was developed by combining the characteristics of the elderly clothing design and UI design. After the design of a Bluetooth module with a PCBA, the heating temperature and heating time of the clothing can be adjusted through the WeChat mini-program on the mobile phone. It has been verified that the developed prototype meets the heating requirements. This study can serve as an excellent guide for the advancement of EHC and electrical wearables.