Interview Michael Schneider
Smart textiles will definitely revolutionize medical care in Germany. We support doctors and medical professionals in their diagnosis, treatment, and evaluation of data.
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Today, clothing does far more than just look good – it measures, supports, and protects. Smart textiles are weaving their way into medicine and fitness, seamlessly blending high-tech innovation with the art of thread.
Michael Schneider, managing director of born – Knitting Engineers, shows us how these sophisticated knitted fabrics are made and reveals the potential they hold.
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Basic knowledge: What types of textiles do you manufacture?
Interview Michael Schneider
We basically make two different types of textiles. One is technical knits, the other is smart and e-textiles, which means integrating non-textile components into textiles.
For the most part, it's electronics, which is called e-textiles. In the e-textiles sector, there are actually two major distinctions. One is stimulating the body, the other is measuring vital parameters on the body.
This means that in one case we apply electricity or tactile perception to the body. In the other case, we measure body signals. For example, we measure EKG, EEG, or EMG parameters. The data is then processed and applied accordingly.
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Production method: Why are knitted fabrics particularly suitable for manufacturing smart textiles?
Interview Michael Schneider
Knitwear is ideal for achieving one thing in particular, and that is the compression we need to stay close to the body. When we measure vital signs, we use electrodes that must always lie flat against the skin and have very good skin contact in order to generate the best possible signal for later processing.
We call the technology Second Skin, and we can implement it very well in knitting. In my opinion, knitting is simply the best technology for creating this (non-medical) compression, which ensures that the electrodes fit snugly against the skin and remain washable, durable, and replicable. It also allows us to integrate the electronics as seamlessly as possible.
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Acceptance: When can smart textiles measure vital signs with particular accuracy?
Interview Michael Schneider
Our success naturally depends largely on how end users accept our product. That's why it's very important that we manufacture a product that is as comfortable and easy to use as possible.
A lot has happened in this field over the past few years. On our side as a textile company, this includes modern machinery that enables these technologies, as well as advances in materials. Key terms here are advanced materials, innovative yarns, and functional yarns. In addition, the technologies we use have also developed significantly, particularly in the area of electronics. Flexible and stretchable electronics now allow us to develop and offer a product that feels as textile-like as possible and is comfortable for users.
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Innovation: You develop your own products at your "Smart Textiles Hub" development center.
Interview Michael Schneider
There, we are working on our "DeepVest" project,for example, for which we are currently developing a smart textile designed to help users or patients affected by post-traumatic stress disorder or anxiety disorders, to better manage their everyday lives.
The main application is deep pressure, which means that we stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system by mimicking a hug, thereby inducing relaxation of the nervous system.
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Vision: Which goals are you pursuing with smart textiles?
Interview Michael Schneider
Our problem statement is the increasingly inadequate provision of medical services in terms of spatial coverage. Our vision is to eventually develop a product that, as a first step, conducts an anamnesis by collecting patient data, then processes this data further and, ideally, directly proposes a suitable therapy.
