Programme details

The largest Textiles Show in the world: Première Vision is situated in Paris. This year "intelligent fabrics" were shown. For example, textiles that have built-in protection against staining.
At Centexbel in Belgiumscientists are dreaming up the next generation of intelligent or functional textiles. Like undergarments that allow you to monitor different body functions: breathing, heartbeat and so on, using electrodes that are in direct contact with the body. The most complex of these prototypes is the textile keyboard, which can also function as a simple calculator. Jean Léonard explains that it functions due to the interaction of materials that do and don't conduct electricity.
Suppleness and comfort, those are the watchwords for functional and intelligent clothing. Yvette Rogister is in charge of the microbiology lab at the centre. Her research helps build an understanding of how fibres react to the presence of certain nanoparticles - for example cosmetic nanoparticles that release perfumes into clothes
At the Institut Francais du Textil et Habillement, outside Lyon intelligent textiles are tested for resistance: against heat,flames, tearing, liquids. Their engineers work on several Europe wide projects and also invent their own textiles for the future.