Textile-Based Sound Sensors (TSS): New Opportunities for Sound Monitoring in Smart Buildings

Abstract

Persistent poor acoustic conditions can imbalance humans’ psychophysical capabilities. A good acoustic project starts with either correct measurements of the existing acoustic parameters or with the correct hypothesis of new sound conditions. International standards define invasive measurement conditions and procedures that can disturb user activities. For this reason, alternative methodologies have been developed by mounting real-time sound-monitoring devices. Most of the research on these aims to decrease their dimensions in order to be placed in the tight service spaces of modern architecture and to reduce their aesthetic impact on interiors design. In this perspective, this article explores the features and potentialities of textile-based sound sensors (TSS) as they can not only fulfill these needs but can also be used as architectural ornaments by partially wrapping interiors. The ubiquitous of e-textiles for wearable applications has led to increasing the performance of TSS. Therefore, a comparison of the sensitivity values, signal-to-noise ratio and noise floor of sound TSS with sound sensors is presented, which is still missing in the literature. The paper demonstrates how these can be exploited for sound monitoring and can provide valid opportunities for new smart acoustic textiles.

Flourishing electronic textiles towards pervasive, personalized and intelligent healthcare

“…At the same time, prolonged exposure to weather extremes during pregnancy may increase the risk of miscarriage or preterm [97] . Copyright 2022 American Chemical Society; (C) Schematic diagram of a smart fabric sensing platform for tracking skin temperature and ambient temperature of pregnant women; (D) Optical images of a temperature yarn sensor in a bent state and woven into a fabric; (E) Skin temperature and ambient temperature during exercise in pregnant women [98] . Copyright 2022 Elsevier.…”

“…With the proposal of a temperature monitoring platform, pregnant women can benefit from real-time monitoring of temperature changes in their lower limbs and surrounding areas during exercise, along with receiving specific recommendations. These recommendations include encouraging increased physical activity to raise body temperature or cautioning against exposure to hot environments [Figure 6C] [98] . The fabric sensor, as depicted in Figure 6D, exhibits excellent flexibility and can be seamlessly woven into fabric without compromising its flexibility.…”

Recent Developments in Textile Materials Based on the Piezoelectricity Concept

“…Textile products with piezoelectric characteristics are inserted in the most diverse areas. For example, one may mention the development of piezoelectric and flexible acoustic sensors [6],…”