In the Cornet project with the Hogeschool Gent / Belgium, The Hochschule Niederrhein is developing sensory and actuator hybrid threads and seam structures for sports and protective clothing systems. Wearable prototypes are being developed that can emit light, detect humidity and temperature, or track body movements.

Grant number: 09689-19 (Cornet IGF project).

Involved persons: M.Sc. Katalin Mengler, Dr. Thomas Grethe, Prof. Dr. Kerstin Zöll, Prof. Dr. Thomas Weide, Prof. Dr. Anne Schwarz-Pfeiffer.

The Hochschule Niederrhein developed electrically conductive dispersions for screen and digital printing as part of the ZIM-funded project "Development of a puncture sensor for protective clothing" in collaboration with the project partners Bache Modeland GmbH, Freyer & Siegel Elektronik GmbH & Co. KG. These were then applied to various knitted fabrics and spacer fabrics. This resulted in puncture-sensing inserts for stitch-resistant jackets.

The jacket was developed for "worst case" scenarios for people in public life, e.g. bus drivers, cab drivers, security service employees or employees in labor and welfare offices.

The smart glove consists of a glove with an integrated bending sensor in the finger and a snap-on cuff. The signals from the textile bend sensor in the glove are controlled by a microcontroller in the cuff and transmitted to the LED Functional Sequin ^DevicesTM placed on the back of the hand.

The circuit layout consists of a conductive yarn implemented using embroidery technology. The embroidery pattern integrates the textile data conductors, the LEDs and the microcontroller connections. The ^LED-FSDsTM are conventional sequins with circuit layout and carriers of small electronic components. Using a defined and reproducible process, they are automatically placed, attached and contacted.

The smart glove enables mobile sensory recognition of the motor mobility of the fingers. In addition to finger training, the smart glove also serves as biofeedback by visualizing the movement signals with the ^LED-FSDsTM. The biofeedback signals the success of the therapy to the operator, acts as a self-monitoring of the motor training process and increases motivation and learning.

With the aid of the KneTex knee brace, unhealthy movement sequences are to be detected and localized by recording the position and angle of the knee, the relevant leg muscles and the movement context. With appropriate feedback actuation, harmful movement patterns should be corrected immediately. It enables the reduction of the recurrence and complication rate of patients with surgically treated anterior cruciate ligament tears and the independent application by the patient in everyday life.

The combination of methods of textile technology, sensor technology, embedded IT with corresponding analysis procedures and actuator technology using novel technology in the design of the electronic components serves not only to record the position and angle of the knee, but also the activity of the relevant leg muscles and the context of movement in fine resolution.

Modern feedback methods ensure that the movement sequence is directly influenced at the moment of occurrence, with simultaneous long-term reorientation in the movement sequences. Easy application even in the home environment is determined by robustness in use with scientifically based evaluation of effectiveness and user acceptance.

Stay up to date and follow our progress on Researchgate!

Funding code: ERDF 0801285

Involved persons: M.Sc. Ramona Nolden, Manuela Niemeyer, M.Sc. Julia Demmer, Andreas Kitzig, Prof. Dr. Edwin Naroska, Prof. Dr. Martin Alfurth, Prof. Dr. Kerstin Zöll, Prof. Dr. Anne Schwarz-Pfeiffer

In various projects, we have already integrated different light sources into clothing systems. In addition to LED-embroidered sequins, wired LEDs are used as well as electroluminescent wires and optical fibers in combination with a laser source.

In the ZIM project "Development of flexibly designable and digitally printed luminescent textiles for the advertising and architecture industry", the company Thamm GmbH and The Hochschule Niederrhein jointly developed ink formulations for a digitally controlled dispenser printing of electroluminescent textiles, which was also the subject of the development.

Further information at:

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1558925019861624;

Funding code: ZF4102202CJ6 (ZIM cooperative project).

Involved persons: M.Sc. Evelyn Lempa, Carsten Grassmann, Prof. Dr. Anne Schwarz-Pfeiffer

The Cornet project "AmbiTex - Textile integrated sensors for monitoring of ambient Parameters" dealt with the development of textile humidity and temperature sensors. Together with the University of Innsbruck / Austria, the goal was for both sensors to be as textile-based as possible and electrically evaluable so that quantitative analysis is possible. The work at the Hochschule Niederrhein focused on the development of printed, coated and embroidered capacitive moisture sensors by looking at the change in dielectric permittivity of a medium, which, if it can absorb moisture, depends on its water content.

Grant number:03137-16 (Cornet IGF project)

Involved persons: Dr. Thomas Grethe, M.Sc. Katalin Mengler, M.Sc. Susanne Küppers, Prof. Dr. habil. Maike Rabe, Prof. Dr. Anne Schwarz-Pfeiffer

Dye solar cells now represent an interesting alternative to silicon-based solar cells. Even though their efficiencies are still significantly lower than conventional solar cells, they can be manufactured without cleanroom conditions and from relatively inexpensive, non-toxic materials. In the DBU-funded project "SolTex", the first steps towards textile-based dye-sensitized solar cells for a self-sufficient power supply were successfully taken. In laboratory and small pilot plant scale, functioning solar cells were produced essentially from natural materials and their effectiveness was measured. No environmentally harmful substances were used, in particular no organic solvents and no heavy metals. All applied processes are scalable. The project partners of the Hochschule Niederrhein were InovisCoat GmbH and the Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences.

The Hochschule Niederrhein, together with Coatema Coating Machinery GmbH, AdPhos Innovative Technologies GmbH, IMST GmbH and Belgian partners (ZIM International funding), developed electroluminescent textile wallpapers that are produced via continuous processes and electrically powered by sensors controlled via a miniature inverter. Among other things, an intermittent wide-slit nozzle for sampling the luminescent layer and NIR drying were used.

Funding code: ZF4102214SL8 (IraSME-Förderung)

Persons Involved: M.Sc. Evelyn Lempa, Mirja Kreuziger, Prof. Dr. Anne Schwarz-Pfeiffer.