Smart Fabrics and Intelligent Textiles in the UK: Seven Companies at the Forefront of Innovation

This report profiles seven UK companies which are at the forefront of innovation in smart fabrics and intelligent textiles, namely: Auxetix, d3o lab, Eleksen, Engineered Fibre Structures, EXO², Fibretronic and Peratech.

Some of these companies have developed and commercialised functional fabric-based products incorporating integrated electronics. Such products are capable of interfacing with or accommodating iPods, mobile phones and laptop computers, and include sports jackets, bags, business suits and fabric keyboards. Eleksen, Fibretronic and Peratech are among a number of UK-based companies leading this field.

At the same time, other smart materials offering new performance features for a varied range of end uses have emerged. Many are based on the results of academic research, and some have been created by modifying existing textile manufacturing technology. Such materials include: blast curtains and self-locking sticking threads from Auxetix; protective equipment for high performance sports applications from d3o lab; a glove which can be used to control games consoles and other electronic devices from Engineered Fibre Structures; and heat conducting clothing technology from EXO².

Smart Fabrics and Intelligent Textiles in the UK: Seven Companies at the Forefront of Innovation

• Summary
• Introduction
• Auxetix
• d3o lab
• Eleksen
• Engineered Fibre Structures
• Exo²
• Fibretronic
• Peratech/Softswitch

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• Performance apparel markets: product developments and innovations, 2nd quarter 2007, (2nd Quarter 2007)
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• Editorial: New Technologies for Smart Fabric and Intelligent Textile Products: Dye-Sensitised Solar Cells and Plastic Electronics, (1st quarter 2007)

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