Medical Smart Textile Market

Medical smart textiles are a comparatively new zone of research which has lots of potential applications in the biomedical engineering field. Sensors linked into textiles in contact with the body can capture many physiological signals which can be used in the diagnosis of many diseases. The medical smart fabric works on nanotechnology principles. The fabric is made up of the technology through which it can sense environmental conditions. Some examples of medical smart textiles are life belts (transabdominal wearable device), bulletproof jackets (monitors toxic gases and prevents injuries), and life jackets (constantly monitors and reads the heart rate measurements and blood pressure), among others.

The global medical smart textiles market is primarily driven by the growing demand for medical sensors and monitoring devices, extensive use of wearable medical devices, and the rising burden of diseases. However, the high cost of medical smart textiles and stringent regulations are the restraints to the growth of the market. On the other hand, growing awareness about using medical smart textile globally is likely to offer lucrative opportunities for the growth of the market.

Electronic textiles are also known as smart textiles. Smart textiles are digitally enhanced fabrics which use light and battery for operation. The fabrics are capable of sensing environmental conditions. Smart fabrics operate through signals which are received from the central control unit (CCU). The analysis and evaluation of signals are done through the fabric-embedded electric processor. The whole function of smart fabrics is based on nanotechnology. Smart textiles are applied in many healthcare segments such as life belts (transabdominal wearable device), telemedicine and use of biomedical clothing, life jackets (constantly monitors and reads the heart rate measurements and blood pressure), and the smart bra (measures heart rates through sensors).

Smart textiles are very useful in the health industry as it enables the monitoring of heart rate Electrocardiogram (ECG), Electromyogram (EMG) and Electroencephalogram (EEG). Medical smart textiles can continuously monitor the condition of patients and receive communications and positioning. The use of smart wearable textiles eases the inconveniency of the frequent visits to clinics. Owing to these advantages, many companies come up with research, development, and analysis on nanotechnology and its integration with fabric. Many of them such as Clothing Plus, Camria, Pireta, Stitch, Hexoskin, 3Tecks, etc. have started manufacturing smart textiles for serving athletes and also for medical requirements.

Medical smart textiles serve hospitals, nursing homes, and other medical institutions with their smart fabric products such as smart pediatric wear, smart medical gowns, and medical clothes.

Smart textiles are very useful sources for hospitals to get accurate data of patients through the senses embedded in it. Top startups developing smart textiles for healthcare include Camira Fabrics, Hexoskin, and Pireta.

Smart textile is a way to revolutionize healthcare practices and its widespread use to monitor health or help in treatment could reduce the reliance on costly instruments. Smart textile clothing helps in tracking chronic disorders and conditions, which is good for the aging population and makes their life more comfortable during hospitalization. This is the way to create value, reduce costs, and boost health insights of patients.

E-textile is a new concept designed to be comfortable to the skin and functional at the same time. These smart fabrics consist of traditional fabric woven with conductive fibers and electronic elements such as microcontrollers, biomedical sensors, fiber optics, and wearable antennas such as Mouser's Internet of Things System. For instance, GPS tracking in e-textiles can be used to track senior family members suffering from diseases such as Dementia or Alzheimer’s.

The new technological advancement in smart textiles can support the diagnosis of many diseases through continuous monitoring of health profiles. This provides opportunities for new market players to come up with the latest technological advancements in medical smart textiles.

Thus, the research and development of e-textiles would continue to create more opportunities for the growth of the market in the future.

Smart textile fabrics are costly because of the high cost incurred in the research and development of technology and resources. If the costs are cut down, it will be easy to introduce smart fabrics to the masses at large. Due to the high cost of medical smart textiles manufacturers are not able to cater to the large population. Countries which are not yet developed or in the developing phase could not afford treatments using medical smart textiles due to the high cost of products. Hence the high cost of production is the barrier to this market’s growth.

Few products are accepted by the healthcare industry and introduced in the market, but the process of development of smart textile fabrics is a burden to the manufacturers due to factors such as initial high costs of fabrication and commercial introduction of this products to the market. These technical and economic barriers could be overcome by introducing alternative technology for bulk production.