Clothing that thinks

What does technological innovation have to do with human safety? More than you might think. Impressive projects in the field of research into safety have been developed as one component of the German government's High-Tech Strategy.

Enlarge image Fire gear (© picture-alliance/dpa) The flames licking around the fire officer’s jacket at the Institute for Textile Technology and Process Engineering (ITV Denkendorf) reach temperatures of 800°C. The jacket is barely recognisable after the test – but the fire officer wearing it would have survived.

Incredibly, the electronics in the burned out jacket still work. Even if the wearer had lost consciousness, the jacket would have continued to signal his or her position and would have called for help.

Innovative technology like this can save lives. Led by Germany's Ministry of Education and Research, the Security Research Programme has been running since 2007. The ministry has already provided 235 million Euro for research work designed to make life safer for citizens. Research does not focus only on pure technology. Human behaviour too is being studied to help experts devise crisis management programmes.

Electronics in a T-shirt
Electric circuits, electronics and sensors are built into the fabric of the T-shirt. The equipment monitors heartbeat, body temperature, skin humidity and various other body functions. Yet you can still put the T-shirt in the washing machine.

The jacket and the T-shirt work hand in hand. Before a mission, the fire officer puts on T-shirt and jacket. The jacket looks like any other protective jacket. The only differences one might notice are the light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on the shoulders and wrists. They glow green. The fire officer connects a cable from the T-shirt to a mini-transmitter in the inside jacket pocket.

Reducing risks for the rescuer Enlarge image Protective clothing for firefighters (© picture-alliance/dpa)
As soon as a body function becomes critical, one field on the monitor will light up red. The fire officer will notice the LED on his or her wrist turn from green to red. The shoulder diodes too will glow red, warming colleagues in the vicinity. What has happened? Maybe the fire officer’s pulse has reached a critical level, because the ambient temperatures are so high. The jacket also records whether and how wearers move. Are they walking upright? Have they fallen? Are they lying on the ground? The fire chief can respond immediately, and in an emergency send colleagues in to assist.The electronics in the clothing in no way hamper the mission. All electrical connections and components are flexible and light. But the advantages are enormous. On the monitor, the fire chief can follow the movements of all officers in action.

Fire officers and other emergency services thank the ITV Denkendorf in no small way for this improved safety. The Institute for Textile Technology and Process Engineering Denkendorf cooperates with the fire brigade and the medical profession on the project "System-integrated sensory protective clothing for the fire brigade and emergency services". In the project, sensors have been developed that can be worked into the T-shirt completely flexibly. They lie against the wearer’s skin and monitor pulse and body temperature. The scientists have also developed textile bands that conduct electricity and are impervious to heat and moisture.

It will still be some time before this new technology hits the market, but the intelligent fire officer suit has already passed a number of tests. It now has to be tested under real-life conditions. Firstly fire officers will test the clothing during training missions. Once it has proved it value there, it will be used in genuine emergency situations.

Research for greater safety
This project is one example of one of the most important aspects of research for greater safety – cooperation between various fields of research and practitioners. In this case with a view to significantly improving the performance and the safety of the emergency services.

Several projects are also dealing with new organisational concepts and strategies for action. Research scientists and practitioners from a wide spectrum of fields are cooperating closely on these. The programme is aligned with European research policy.