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TECHNICAL REPORT – THE LOUNGE CHAIR OF THE FUTURE

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction to the project

2. Introduction to smart textiles

3. Overview of how smart textiles can be applied to our chair

4. Removing the power cable

5. Related products

1. LOUNGE CHAIR OF THE FUTURE During 2011 the companies LINAK Danmark A/S, Anders Nørgaard Design, Schultz Seating Systems A/S and Alexandra

Instituttet A/S work together on creating a lounge chair of the future. The project is called “The Intelligent and

Interactive Chair” (In Danish: “Fremtidens interaktive stol”) and the vision is to create a chair that fulfills three quality

requirements.

1. Design

2. Ergonomic

3. Intelligence

The project aims to bring together good design, smart (or intelligent) textiles and ergonomic seating capacities to

develop a lounge chair with innovative capabilities. Initial the focus of the chair was the elderly. However, it was later

chosen to widen the focus on other segment than the elderly. The goal of the project is to develop a chair that can be

presented at trade fairs during 2012. The project is funded by iKraft1.

2. WHAT ARE SMART (OR INTELLIGENT) TEXTILES?2 3

Smart textiles are, in short, textiles that act. It is textiles that changes shape, color, and function according to your

needs. Textiles which smell (in the good way). Textiles that exchange information and communication with each other,

you and the environment. Textiles that regulate you (temperature, perspiration etc). Textiles that entertain. Textiles

that keep you dry. Textiles that lights up. Textiles that monitor your health. Textiles that know and understands you.

Textiles that takes care of you. Textiles that reveal and Textiles that camouflage you.

The concept of smart textiles (also known as intelligent textiles or e-textiles in the literature), has evolved from the

concept of wearable computers. The first generation of wearable computing consisted of electronics that were bodily

worn, but not integration into the clothes4.This has evolved into the development of surface mounted electronics and

later into electronics integrated into yarn, such as the Textro-yarns® by Textronics5 which has conductive capabilities.

1 http://www.ikraft.dk/innovationspuljen

2 Section is partly based on: “Electrotextiles: concepts and challenges”, by Wagner et al. In International Journal of

High Speed Electronics and Systems 2002 3Section is partly based on: http://www.intelligentetekstiler.dk/2010/01/26/introduktion-til-intelligente-tekstiler/

4 Pictures from: http://306is.blogspot.com/2007/04/history-of-wearable-computers.html ,

http://creativetech.inn.leedsmet.ac.uk/staff/rb/Wearable.html and http://www.coolest-gadgets.com/20080120/turnout-gear-from-viking/ 5 http://www.textronicsinc.com/yarns/

2

As the above shows, smart textiles and smart furniture can be many things. However, in contrast to traditional textiles

or furniture - they act.

CATEGORIES OF SMART TEXTILES

There are two main domains of smart textiles

1. (Surface) Treated Textiles: By giving yarn surface treatment, using coating or changing the structure of the

fibers it is possible to change the properties of the textile. A classic example is water-proof jackets.

2. Textiles and electronics: These types of smart textiles are fabrics that allow electronic components to be

embedded in them6.

In the next section we will see how we imagine smart textiles can be applied in our context and in section 5 we

present an array of products and projects related to smart textiles.

6 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-textiles

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3. SMART TEXTILES IN OUR CHAIR We conducted a literature study to get insight in the state of the art of smart textiles. On top of that we conducted a

number of workshops and interviews with potential consumers and a wide array of professionals and researchers.

This has given us insight into the possible match between technology opportunity and user needs. Also, see section 5

on “related products” for more information about projects related to smart textiles.

Known possibilities related to our chair:

Heating & cooling

o This is requested by nurses (ergo-therapists) and patients alike. Heating and cooling can be used for

relaxation as well as pain relief.

Energy scavenging to remove power cable and to make more environment friendly (not using carbon based

energy). Solar power, pressure energy. For large actuators (requiring more energy) we can perhaps not

harvest energy enough. Scavenging is perhaps only for luxery version of furniture, designed for low power

consumption (and which can be placed as a normal chair)

Monitoring capabilities

o Measuring the vital parameters of the user.

o Sensor for body temperature, smell, pressure, pulse, perspiration, breathing, and calorie burn rate.

Material related options

o change color today

o Dirt repellant.

o self-cleaning

o Water repellant

o other treatments, antistatic, flame-retartent, electric conducting, magnetic

o breathable

o anti-bacteria

o containing, sponge like material (e.g. for incontinentia)

o Fibers can light and change color

Actuator possibilities

o Movement

o Help to get in and out of the chair

Integration possibilities

o Remote control (television, stereo. house, mobile) GPS

o Build in phone, browser, television (LED textile display)

o Audio (Integration with audio or Hi-Fi systems)

Communication

o Ultrasound, infrared

o RF-communication, Bluetooth, RFID, Wi-Fi

Power supply

o Textile batteries

o Wireless energy

Sensing

o react/measure friction

o pressure (the chair put pressure on your body)

o sense where you fingers (arms, feet, etc) are (as the airguitar)

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4. REMOVING THE POWER CABLES Intelligent furniture is, as previously mentioned, furniture with integrated textiles or electronics that allow the

furniture to do things that was not possible with legacy textiles/materials. It is the intention that features such as

built-in screens, speakers, smart textiles (for instance dirt or water repellant) can be added later in the project phase.

To enable these features the chair will need electric power. However, the end users are not interested in having a

cable plugged into their char – so we need to remove the cables. How this can be achieved will be analyzed in this

section. In this section we will consider three technologies which could be used in the lounge chair of the future:

wireless energy transferal, energy harvesting and the use of batteries.

4.1 WIRELESS ENERGY

In order to remove power cables from “the intelligent and interactive chair of the future” we need to find energy for

the actuators (a small engine that allows the chair to move, e.g. move the backrest or give massage) and sensors.

We can retrieve (i.e. harvest) this from several sources:

Body heat

Body movement

Sunlight

Cable-less power transfers (e.g. a beam with RF-based energy)

The chair can (for our purposes here) be divided into two cases

nursing usage (elderly, back pains, etc)

private, recreational usage (for normal fit people)

In the nursing usage scenario it will be problematic if the furniture can’t move because of lack of power. The two body

based energy harvesting methods (body heat, body movement) have periods where they may not be able to provide

the required energy (consider that the user who just have sat down in the furniture and then adjust the furniture

several times). The sunlight energy harvesting may fail if the sun is not shining for prolonged time.

In the private, recreational usage, if we run out of energy, we may ask the user to provide the energy for us (e.g. by

asking the user to plug the chair into the power outlet or (stupid example) by providing a lever that the user can push

back and forth to generate energy). Still we may want to avoid ending up with a product that can run energy dry. Note

that body heat will provide energy as long as the user is there, but we expect that energy to be low.

It is also important to recognize, that some features are more energy demanding than others. Some of the more

energy demanding features are:

Massage

Activating Actuators (adjusting seat height, angle etc)

Heat/cooling

We may need to avoid these feature if we want the furniture to be self-(energy)-generating. However the

heat/cooling feature is pretty important7.

POWER TRANSFERS

7 the discussion here holds regardless of whether we also use a battery or not.

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We can provide the power as electric power, either as wired power or wireless.

WIRED

Use thin cables. Customer need to have cables in the living room or in the nursing home. We reckon that having cables

in the nursing home will probably be more acceptable than cables in the private living room.

WIRELESS

There are mainly two forms of wireless power: electromagnetic induction and electromagnetic radiation. These

technologies will be investigated in the next section.

4.2 WIRELESS ENERGY

As mentioned in the above there are mainly two forms of wireless power:

Electromagnetic induction.

Electromagnetic radiation.

The induction is currently via magnetic induction. Note in the literature you may find references to resonant magnetic

induction which is just magnetic induction with a particular choice of materials.

Radiation can be at any frequency, e.g. infra-red, microwave, visible. Lasers are often used8.

FIGURE 1: FROM [HTTP://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/FILE:ELECTROMAGNETIC-SPECTRUM.PNG]

8 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_energy_transfer

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Wireless power can be divided into three categories depending on the distance that the power needs to be send

across: near-, mid- and far-range. Typical distances are:

near: 0,001-0,01m

mid 0,25-10m

far >10m

EXAMPLES

An example of wireless energy transfer is Sonys wireless TV prototype9, which

transfers 60W at 50cm distance.

Another is HP's Touchstone charging dock which permits wireless charging of a

mobile phone. A similar technology has been developed by Samsung10

.

Lastly: Toyota announced a partnership with WiTricity in April 2011. They will be

collaborating together to work on a way to apply automotive wireless charging

systems.

Typically near-range transfers are done with induction and far-range via radiation. Mid-range have been done with

both types.

MAGNETIC INDUCTION Magnetic induction is a well-known physical phenomenon and is applied in both everyday household appliances and

in the industry. For instance induction cookers, RFId tags, etc. For power transfer magnetic induction on the near-

range level is a proven technology, e.g. charging stations for PDAs, mobile phones, toothbrushes (f.i. Sonicare,

Braun)11

. These systems are highly efficient, with power loss of only a few percents. For radiation the loss is much

higher (see below).

Magnetic induction is obtained by having a sender generating a magnetic field. This field drives a receiver where the

magnetic energy is converted to electric energy.

FIGURE 2: HTTP://TECHGENIE.COM/LATEST/WIRELESS-POWER/

9 http://www.sony.de/pressrelease/id/1237476675500

10 E.g. for recharging 3D glasses: http://www.samsung.com/sg/consumer/tv-audio-video/television/tv-accessories/CY-

SWC1000A/XU/index.idx?pagetype=acc_detail&subsubtype=wireless-charger 11

"Wireless power transfer via strongly coupled magnetic resonances", By A. Kurs; A. Karalis, R. Moffatt, J.D. Joannopoulos, P. Fisher, M. Soljačić , Science (July 2007), see also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductive_charging

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In households there are few things that interact strongly with magnetic fields this technology has fever safety issues

than RF radiation has according to Soljacic et al.12

.

Power transfer via magnetic induction has two advantages that most radiation based power transfers does not have

The transfer can be omnidirectional, e.g. the sender just broadcast the energy in all directions and the energy

goes via the magnetic field lines to the receiving devices. This is especially true for resonant magnetic

induction.

The transfer does not require a direct line of sight. In contrast transfer with a beam of visible light does

require a direct line of sight.

ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION Electromagnetic radiation is the process that we use to receive wireless signals such that Wi-Fi, radio, tv etc. However

to achieve power transfer via electromagnetic radiation we need to extract energy from the signal. When doing micro-

wave or visible light (see figure Figure 1: From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Electromagnetic-Spectrum.png])

radiation the beam can be highly focused and therefore most of the power emitted from the sender can be made to

hit the receiver. However the conversion from beam to electric energy is lossy with a conversion efficiency of at most

50%-70%13

.

Doing radiation can be omnidirectional (in all directions), however this means that the power available to a receiver

device decreases as 1/r^2, where r is distance between sender and receiver. Therefore most radiative power transfer

is point-to-point, between sender and receiver. Thus we require some sort of discover mechanism and some way of

directing the beam from the sender.

It is known that electromagnetic radiation interact with living tissue thus there is a need to not transmit too much

power in the signal, and we may even need to shutdown the signal if a human stands in the beam path. See also

section Safety below.

EFFICIENCY/BEST KNOWN

From www.ecoupled.com:

Far-range conversion efficiency 50%-70% (>10 meters, radiation)

Mid-range coil to coil efficiency 50% efficiency (2m, induction) and 75% (1m, induction)

Near-range system efficiency 94% (8mm, induction)

LEADING WIRELESS POWER TECHNOLOGY PROVIDERS 14

1. Powermat – Induction mat. They have recently released wireless charging mat whichcosts about 100 to 200

dollars depending on how many devices you want to charge. It requires a casing for the device.

2. WildCharge – Induction mat. Wire free chargers available for sale. Supports iPhone, BalckBerry and other

phones. Costs about 80 to 100 dollars including charging skins.

3. WiTricity – Designed for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM’s) to embed directly in their products and

systems. Expected to be available in early 2010. A demo-kit and developer-kit can be purchased at the time

of writing. The company is founded by Marin Soljacic from MIT. Uses medium distance magnetic induction.

4. Fulton Innovation – eCoupled – Designed for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM’s) to embed directly in

their products and systems

5. Powercast RFId radiation based, RFId range (915MHz), detectors can have up to 70% efficiency.

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"Wireless power transfer via strongly coupled magnetic resonances", By A. Kurs; A. Karalis, R. Moffatt, J.D. Joannopoulos, P. Fisher, M. Soljačić , Science (July 2007) 13

www.PowerCastCo.com 14

http://www.wirelesspowersupply.net

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6. WiPower – Charging Pad based technology available to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM’s) only

7. SplashPower (Aquired by ecoupled, 2008)

8. Mojo Mobility - - Does not seem to have actual products but want to create MojoPad.

9. PowerBeam (optical radiation based), detectors can obtain 50% efficacy. Wall-to-wall is 15%-30%,

There is a lot of attention around induction based charging stations for mobile phones PDAs, laptops, etc.

One solution could be to hide the “mat”+cable below a carpet and then place the chair above the mat.

Another solution is to use light point to point and install a sender in the ceiling and charge in that way.

Another solution is to use infrared. Infrared is furthermore more forgiving in terms of bending around obstacles.

SAFETY ISSUE The eye is the most problematic tissue

15 when it comes to laser safety as this is the part of the human body that first

takes damage.

At visible wavelengths (400nm-780nm) the eye’s blink reflex handles minor incidents. However for infrared light and

ultraviolet light the blink reflex does not work, and this courses damage to various parts of the eye.

Maximum Permissible Exposure (MPE) is measured in (W/cm^2) or (J/cm^2. It usually set at 1/10 of the level that has

50% risk of generating damage. Below is the graph of MPE as a function of exposure time:

Note MPE is here measured in W/cm^2 and this is the measurement for eyes.

From the graph we get that Power levels less than 1mW/cm^2 should be safe for humans for a few seconds, more for

certain wavelengths.

4.2 ENERGY SCAVENGING16

Scavenging energy (or energy harvesting) from ambient vibrations, wind, heat or light could enable smart sensors to

be functional indefinitely.

Several academic and commercial groups have been involved in the analysis and development of vibration-powered

energy harvesting technology, including the Control and Power Group and Optical and Semiconductor Devices Group

at Imperial College London, IMEC and the partnering Holst Centre, AdaptivEnergy, LLC, ARVENI, MIT Boston, Georgia

Tech, UC Berkeley, Southampton University, University of Bristol (UK), Nanyang Technological University, PMG

Perpetuum, Vestfold University College, National University of Singapore, NiPS Laboratory at the University of Perugia,

Columbia University, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona and USN & Renewable Energy Lab at the University of Ulsan

(Ulsan, South Korea).

15

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_safety 16

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_harvesting

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There are many small-scale energy sources that generally cannot be scaled up to industrial size:

Piezoelectric crystals or fibers generate a small voltage whenever they are mechanically deformed. Vibration

from engines can stimulate piezoelectric materials, as can the heel of a shoe.

Some wristwatches are already powered by kinetic energy (called kinetic watches), in this case movement of

the arm. The arm movement causes the magnet in the electromagnetic generator to move. The motion

provides a rate of change of flux, which results in some induced emf on the coils. The concept is simply

related to Faraday's Law.

Photovoltaics is a method of generating electrical power by converting solar radiation both (indoors and

outdoors) into direct current electricity using semiconductors that exhibit the photovoltaic effect.

Photovoltaic power generation employs solar panels composed of a number of cells containing a photovoltaic

material.

Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) consist of the junction of two dissimilar materials and the presence of a

thermal gradient. Large voltage outputs are possible by connecting many junctions electrically in series and

thermally in parallel. Typical performance is 100-200 μV/K per junction. These can be utilized to capture

mW.s of energy from industrial equipment, structures, and even the human body. They are typically coupled

with heat sinks to improve temperature gradient.

Micro wind turbine are used to harvest wind energy readily available in the environment in the form of

kinetic energy to power the low power electronic devices such as wireless sensor nodes. When air flows

across the blades of the turbine, a net pressure difference is developed between the wind speeds above and

below the blades. This will result in a lift force generated which in turn rotate the blades. This is known as the

aerodynamic effect.

Special antennae can collect energy from stray radio waves or theoretically even light (EM radiation).

Biomechanical energy harvesters are also being created. One current model is the biomechanical energy harvester of

Max Donelan which straps around the knee. Devices as this allow the generation of 2.5 watts of power per knee. This

is enough to power 5 cell phones.

Piezoelectric systems can convert motion from the human body into electrical power. DARPA has funded efforts to

harness energy from leg and arm motion, shoe impacts, and blood pressure for low level power to implantable or

wearable sensors. The nanobrushes of Dr. Zhong Lin Wang are another example of a piezoelectric energy harvester.

They can be integrated into clothing.

SOLAR POWER

Using Solar power is another option. Using solar power – or photovoltaics – it is possible to convert sunlight into

electricity17

. Solar power technology is rapidly developing and is being integrated into various products as an

alternative to batteries. An example is the Power Purse18

(see picture below) from 2008. It is a bag which outer surface

is covered with solar panels that absorb the sun’s rays and create electricity used for powering everyday gadgets.

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“Photovoltaic solar energy - development and current research”, EC report on solar energy, 2009 18

http://www.hardwaresphere.com/2008/08/09/stylish-div-handbag-with-solar-charger/

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The Spark Tablet Case19

is another example. It’s a solar-charging tablet case for tablets such as the iPad. According to

the manufacturer it “gets an hour of iPad video playback for every hour of direct sunlight, coming to 10 hours

for a complete charge,”. Which is pretty decent, but there is still a long way to go (it takes 3,18 hours to charge an

iPad using the standard 10w iPad charger according to a Gismondo test20

).

Solar power is an interesting source of energy, but it is most likely not suitable for purpose.

4.3 BATTERIES

Yet another option is the use of rechargeable batteries.

There is not as much power loss (compared to wireless energy) when the rechargeable batteries get charges and,

since it is a mature technology, it is easy to implement it in the chair. Batteries however have the drawback that they

“self discharge” and some batteries are rather heavy.

Common rechargeable battery types21

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:

Lead-Acid (Gel Cells): Commonly used as a car battery. Despite having a very low energy-to-weight ratio and a low energy-to-volume ratio, their ability to supply high surge currents means that the cells maintain a relatively large power-to-weight ratio. These features, along with their low cost, make them attract make them attractive for use in motor vehicles to provide the high current required by automobile starter motors. They are moderately expensive.

Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd): NiCd batteries are often used in wireless telephones, emergency lighting, and other applications such as remote-controlled electric model airplanes. The primary trade-off with NiCd batteries is their higher cost and the use of cadmium (being a heavy metal it is an environmental hazard, and is highly toxic).

Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH): A NiMH battery can have two to three times the capacity of an equivalent size nickel-cadmium battery. Compared to the lithium-ion cell, the volumetric energy density is similar but self-discharge is higher.

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http://www.voltaicsystems.com/spark.shtml 20

http://gizmodo.com/5535631/the-fastest-and-slowest-way-to-charge-an-ipad 21

“Batteries and Charging Systems for QRP”, by James R. Duffey. http://www.norcalqrp.org/files%5CBatteries_and_Charging_Systems_KK6MC_whitepaper.pdf 22

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_(electricity)#Secondary_batteries

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Lithium-ion (LIB): One of the most popular types of rechargeable battery for portable electronics with one of the best energy densities (i.e. energy amount stored per unit volume) and a slow loss of charge when not in use.

o Advantage: They come in a wide variety of sizes and are much lighter than other energy-equivalent rechargeable batteries. Lower self-discharge rate (5-10% per month).

o Disadvantage: It is very expensive. Furthermore the cell's capacity diminishes over time. The increase in internal resistance reduces the cell's ability to deliver current (a problem that is more pronounced in high-current applications). The decrease means that older batteries do not charge as much as new ones. If overheated or overcharged, Li-ion batteries may suffer cell rupture and – in extreme cases – to combustion.

RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES COMPARED23

Battery Type Total Capacity Self-Discharge Rate Comment

Nickel-Metal Hydride

(NiMH)

Up to 1,000, AAA.

Up to 2,700 mAh, AA.

Available capacities vary

widely.

Does not hold charge well

over long periods.

Loses 4 percent per day,

much more in warm

temperatures.

Also works well in devices

that require sudden high

amperage discharge, such

as digital cameras.

Low Self Discharge

Nickel-Metal Hydride

(LSD NiMH)

Up to 800, AAA.

Up to 2,000, AA

Almost all LSD batteries sold

have close to these

capacities.

Holds charge well over long

periods.

Loses 15 percent per year,

very slightly more in warm

temperatures.

Also works well in devices

that require sudden high

amperage discharge, such

as digital cameras.

Nickel-Cadmium

(NiCd)

Up to 350 mAh, AAA.

Up to 1,000 mAh, AA.

Available capacities vary

widely. Check the mAh

rating before you buy.

Loses 1 percent per day,

slightly more in warm

temperatures.

Does not work well in

devices that require sudden

high amperage discharges.

Does not work well in digital

cameras, but does work

well in most other devices.

23

Based on http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/ReduceWaste/power/rechbattinfo.htm

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5. RELATED PRODUCTS

SMART FURNITURE

THE SMART SOFA FROM TRINITY COLLEGE, DUBLIN (2003)24 The sofa was developed in 2003 by scientists at the Trinity College in Dublin. The

sofa has a sensor on each leg which can measure who is sitting in the sofa based

on the person’s weight. Apart from measuring weight the sofa can give the user a

personalized greeting.

In 2003 Mads Haahr, one of the researchers, said that this was just the beginning

and that he envisioned a future where the sofa would be able to do much more:

set the temperature in the room based on the users comfort level or switch on

household appliances.

THE SENSECHAIR (2005)25, CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY (CMU) The SenseChair was a created at the Carnegie Mellon University in 2005 and

is part of the “project on people and robots” program. The aim of the

SenseChair project was to create an armchair that could be used as a robotic

assistant for elders’ homes.

The SenseChair is designed to provide non-invasive feedback to the owner of

the chair. The main functionality of the SenseChair is to monitor sitting

position and lack of activity (i.e. dozing off) in the chair. If the user falls

asleep (as is pictured in the figure) during the evening it is advantageous to

wake the user so that he or she can sleep in her bed. In this scenario the

chair will wake the user using vibration motors embedded in the chair and,

to avoid accidents, turn on the light underneath the chair to ensure that the

user can see.

The SenseChair was seen as a platform for research into designing

technology for elders, rather than a product. However, the chair has not

been developed further.

24

http://edition.cnn.com/2003/TECH/ptech/09/22/smart.sofa/index.html 25

“The lounge chair as an intelligent assistive device for elders”, by Forlizzi, J et al. (DUX05 Conference Proceedings)

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BY ROYAL APPOINTMENT (2007)26 The chairs called “By Royal Appointment” have been

created by Moritz Waldemeyer. The chairs change color

according to the color of the clothes of the clothing the

person sitting on it is wearing.

CLOTHING

COOLING YARN27

High-tech Belgian monofilaments producer Luxilon Industries NV has developed an award winning cooling

monofilament yarn, which can cause the surface of fabrics to cool by up to 3.7°C. The yarn cools due to the molecular

structure of the polymer. A continuous surface process, when moisture is available, creates a permanent cooling

effect.

According to Luxilon, the main areas of application for Luxicool are temperature control in sports applications and

medical applications which include fever control, improved comfort for hospital beds for long term patients, improved

comfort during long term use of orthopaedic bandages and improved comfort during burns wound treatment.

HUG SHIRT28

Hug Shirt, a high-tech garment that simulates the experience of being

embraced by a loved one. When a friend sends you a virtual hug, your

cell phone notifies the shirt wirelessly, via Bluetooth. The shirt then re-

creates that person's distinctive cuddle, replicating his or her warmth,

pressure, duration and even heartbeat.

The Hug Shirt is created by CuteCircuit.

26

http://www.waldemeyer.com/by-royal-appointment 27

http://www.innovationintextiles.com/articles/905.php 28

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1939342_1939424_1939709,00.html

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SOLAR HANDBAG AND THE CLIMATE DRESS29

The Climate Dress is made of conductive embroidery. The dress senses

the CO2 concentration in the air and visualize the level of CO2 using

embedded LED; the higher the CO2 concentration the more hectic the

light patterns. It is made by Diffus, the Alexandra Institute, Forster

Rohner and Copenhagen Design School

The Solar Handbag is a luxury handbag which becomes a portable power

station by combining miniaturized solar cells and embroideries.

During daytime one hundred small solar power stations distributed on The Solar Handbag generate enough electricity

to charge a mobile device and a powerful lithium ion battery hidden in a small compartment. At night or in dark

surroundings, opening the bag activates optical fibers attached to the inside of the bag that give a diffuse glow and

assist in the search for keys or other objects of vital importance. The Solar Bag is created by Diffus, the Alexandra

Institute, Forster Rohner and Center for Software Innovation.

THE HOODIO, BY GAP30

A Fleech jacket by “Gap Kids” that has an FM radio sewn inside and waterproof controls on the

sleeve.

EXO STORMRIDER31

The StormRider Vest has a climate control system that has been developed to satisfy the needs of

professional motorcyclists. It basically holds them warm regardless of the weather. Using a

controller it is possible to adjust the temperature.

The only wires in this product are the cable

connectors to the bike or to the portable battery.

There are no wires in the heat panels, which are

made of specially treated FabRoc® polymer32

, with

a conductive braid element. The outer garment

layer is made of a stretchable wind and waterproof

fabric called AirXtream

29

http://www.diffus.dk/wordpress/?p=736 ][http://www.talk2myshirt.com/blog/archives/3400 30

http://gizmodo.com/025466/gap-hoodio-jacket-with-built+in-radio 31

http://www.webbikeworld.com/r3/heated-vest/exo-storm-rider/ 32

http://www.customheatersandresearch.com/stock-product/fab-roc-heated-polymer

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The FabRoc Heated Polymer is a heater with complete heating coverage where every pin point is evenly heated,

completely water-proof and the element is flexible to the point of being unbreakable, according to the producer EXO.

PASSIVE PHASE CHANGE COOLING VESTS33

Phase Change Materials (PCM) release long lasting, temperature specific, cooling energy that can be

used in a variety of applications.

The production process mechanically seals phase-change material (PCM) inside durable

polyurethane plastic, creating inserts in a variety of custom configurations. Similar to ice, the PCM

'melts' to a liquid state as it absorbs heat, but at a cooling temperature comfortably above than of

freezing water (0 C) to ensure that the user doesn't get frostbite. At producers such as Aquality

(www.aqualitywater.com) it is possible to get specific customized cooling temperatures ranging

from 4 C up to 18 C to provide cool comfort for a variety of heat stress applications.

OTHER PRODUCTS

GLO PILLOW ILLUMINATING ALARM CLOCK34

The pillow uses an LED fabric to display the glowing and

also doubles as read-out for the clock function as well.

The process works by starting the gentle illuminations 40

minutes before the alarm is scheduled to go off. This

promoted circadian rhythm and assists the body’s natural

clock by conveying the feeling of natural sunlight.

THERMO-ELECTRIC COOL-OR-HEAT SEAT CUSHION35

The Thermo-Electric Seat Cushion is a cool-or-heat seat cushion which works as a complete

personal cooling and heating system. It is installed on top of any existing seat.

Cooling capacity: Combined with thermoelectric technology, water flows through soft coils in the

Sleep Pad to consistently keep the user at the desired temperature. The temperature range of

can be set between 10 C - 45 C. The cooling capacity can be used on a hot summer day or as

therapy for lower back pain.

Heating capacity: The heating capacity can – obviously - be used to keep the user nice and warm, but it can also be

used as pain relief.

According to the manufacturer (www.coolorheat.com) the Thermoelectric technology provides 150% efficient heating

capacity compared to normal heating methods. The power consumption of the Cool-or-Heat Seat Cushion Thermo-

Electric Power Unit/Pump is 30W.

33

http://www.aqualitywater.com/personal-cooling-and-heating-vests.html#phase-change-cooling-vests 34

http://www.crunchwear.com/glo-pillow-illuminating-alarm-clock/ 35

http://www.sportsimportsltd.com/thcosecu.html