Instead of making clothes that can charge a cell phone, she creates things with built-in solar-powered sensors that can track various aspects of the wearer's health, such as heart rate, temperature, posture, sleep quality, and body fat levels.
“While these solar cells produce enough energy to power wearable devices, placing a solar cell behind a fabric will never have the same energy harvesting efficiency as a solar cell under direct sunlight. The thickness, density, structure, color, and finish of the textile will all affect the amount of energy harvesting potential,” says Ilen.
She also adds, “fabric-based products are one of the best solutions for continuous health monitoring because they are easier to achieve product acceptance. Patients already wear clothing, and the technology can be hidden under the fabric for comfort and privacy.”
Researchers at Loughborough University are taking a different approach to energy-generating fabrics. Instead of using solar cells, they are harvesting static electricity generated by human movement and converting it into useful energy.
The technology is based on tiny energy transducers called triboelectric nanogenerators. They are made from fibers such as cotton, polyester, and nylon that are coated with a polymer that attracts static electricity. These flexible, washable threads can be woven into fabric or knitted from them.
“Our group is investigating how we can use conventional textile romania number data materials and textile manufacturing technologies to produce efficient triboelectric nanogenerators for wearable applications,” says project leader Ishara Dharmasena.
“The goal is to produce energy-generating textiles, such as T-shirts and pants, that look very similar to our regular clothes but are capable of generating electricity or acting as sensors to measure body movements,” he explains.
Dr Dharmasena, a research fellow at the Royal Academy of Engineering and lecturer at Loughborough, adds that in the future they could be used in combination with solar panels to create hybrid clothing that generates energy.
Denise Wilson, author of Wearable Solar Systems, expects the market for solar-powered clothing to grow significantly in the coming years.
“I think it would be helpful to be imaginative in marketing wearable solar panels,” says Professor Wilson of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Washington. “We haven’t yet realized the benefits that they have to offer the global community.”
She adds that the most promising area for growth is likely to be clothing that can charge mobile phones and other portable electronic devices: “For the average consumer, this will mean being able to charge on the go.”
But she adds that for such clothing to gain widespread popularity, solar panel systems would need to last at least one year without significant loss of efficiency.