Logic-enabled textiles

Abstract

Textiles hold great promise as a soft yet durable material for building comfortable robotic wearables and assistive devices at low cost. Nevertheless, the development of smart wearables composed entirely of textiles has been hindered by the lack of a viable sheet-based logic architecture that can be implemented using conventional fabric materials and textile manufacturing processes. Here, we develop a fully textile platform for embedding pneumatic digital logic in wearable devices. Our logic-enabled textiles support combinational and sequential logic functions, onboard memory storage, user interaction, and direct interfacing with pneumatic actuators. In addition, they are designed to be lightweight, easily integrable into regular clothing, made using scalable fabrication techniques, and durable enough to withstand everyday use. We demonstrate a textile computer capable of input-driven digital logic for controlling untethered wearable robots that assist users with functional limitations. Our logic platform will facilitate the emergence of future wearables powered by embedded fluidic logic that fully leverage the innate advantages of their textile construction.

A three-terminal magnetic thermal transistor

“…For example, a single output temperature from a thermal circuit consisting of thermal OR gates could be used to detect whether any of the input temperatures ( , ,…., ) is above the switching temperature, as illustrated in Supplementary Figure 4 for . Like mechanical 68 , fluidic 69 , and textile 70 logic elements, thermal logic devices could potentially be applied for computation and sensing without requiring electrical power consumption, if a naturally occurring thermal gradient exists to establish and . Although nanoscale thermal–mechanical logic elements leveraging thermal expansion and gap-size-dependent thermal radiation have been demonstrated 71 , macroscopic thermal logic gates have not been reported.…”

A low-cost wearable device for portable sequential compression therapy

“…Finally, reducing the cost of SCT devices through the aforementioned fabrication approach stemming from soft robotics is particularly important because people of low socioeconomic status have more risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, and this low-cost device may provide more accessible treatment for those who need it. It has also been shown that devices of similar textile structures and materials to our device are machine washable and remain functional after 20,000 cycles of actuation, which is equivalent to 50,000 min of SCT for our device, making our device ideal for wearable purposes (Rajappan et al, 2022). Furthermore, the files used to create all parts of the device have been provided in the Supplementary Material to allow open-access fabrication.…”

“…For example, sewing the straps of the device into (or underneath) a pant leg would enable the device to be wearable like conventional garments yet still provide SCT in an inconspicuous and comfortable manner. The implementation of textile-based energy harvesting or logic control could enable the device to be made solely from textile materials, ensuring an entirely soft (and washable) device ( Rajappan et al, 2022 ; Shveda et al, 2022 ). The system could also be further developed to deliver SCT more precisely in an automatic manner by using closed-loop control ( Payne et al, 2018 ; Sanchez et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Frontiers in Robotics and AI frontiersin.org systems, such as functionally complete logic control (Rajappan et al, 2022) and power generation from walking (Shveda et al, 2022). Additionally, prior work in soft robotics has shown that textile-based wearable devices represent a promising solution for low-cost, untethered, and lightweight devices that apply forces to the body (Sanchez et al, 2021).…”

“…By leveraging their pliable geometry, the functions of sheet-based devices are diverse, ranging from oscillating actuators ( Lee et al, 2022 ) to instability driven locomotion ( Nagarkar et al, 2021 ). Going further, sheet-based devices made from textiles have been demonstrated in useful soft systems, such as functionally complete logic control ( Rajappan et al, 2022 ) and power generation from walking ( Shveda et al, 2022 ). Additionally, prior work in soft robotics has shown that textile-based wearable devices represent a promising solution for low-cost, untethered, and lightweight devices that apply forces to the body ( Sanchez et al, 2021 ).…”