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This paper describes methods for evaluating the thermal properties of textile materials, clothing composites, and clothing using an integrated measurement system that includes a hot plate, a multi-purpose differential conductometer, a thermal manikin, a temperature gradient measurement device, and a device for measuring the physiological parameters of the human body during the exact evaluation of garment thermal comfort. In practice, measurements were taken on four types of materials widely used in the production of conventional and protective clothing. The measurements were carried out using a hot plate and a multi-purpose differential conductometer, determining the thermal resistance of the material both in its uncompressed form and when a force was applied that was ten times greater than that needed to determine its thickness. Using a hot plate and a multi-purpose differential conductometer, thermal resistances of textile materials were assessed at different levels of material compression. On hot plates, both conduction and convection had an impact on thermal resistance, but in the multi-purpose differential conductometer, only conduction did. Moreover, a reduction in thermal resistance was observed as a result of compressing textile materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wireless technologies are essential components of wearable devices for applications ranging from connected healthcare to human–machine interfaces. Their performance, however, is hindered by the human body, which obstructs the propagation of wireless signals over a wide range of directions. Here, we demonstrate conformal propagation and near-omnidirectional radiation of wireless signals near the body using clothing integrated with spoof surface plasmonic (SSP) structures. These structures, fabricated entirely from conductive textiles, induce wireless signals emitted by nearby antennas to propagate around the body as surface waves and radiate as propagating waves in directions otherwise obstructed by the body. We describe the procedure for designing textile-based spoof surface plasmon waveguides, radiating elements, and impedance matching sections for operation in the 2.4–2.5 GHz industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band. Using a tissue phantom model of the human torso, we experimentally demonstrate 2.62 greater angular coverage by a dipole placed near the body compared to without the clothing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An activity classifier based on an abstract model of the human body is suitable for use in an e-textile monitoring system without the need to retrain the recognition model to accommodate different users, sensor types, or garments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]