CPI announces project on wearable electronics

Funded in partnership with Innovate UK, the project will build on extensive prior knowledge developed by all partners, delivering the knowhow to create manufacturable e‑textiles that can survive the rigours, stresses and strains associated with conventional clothing. The key objectives of this work are to:

• Formulate new, robust, washable inks, adhesives and encapsulants for wearable technology (DYCOTEC)
• Scale up the flexible electronics production and assembly processes to industrially relevant volumes. (CPI)
• Design, develop and test of smart garment, working with key clients to ensure products meet market requirements (KYMIRA)

The consortium aims to develop demonstrable prototypes of sporting and medical garments ahead of future manufacturing. Each of the project partners have developed synergistic, early stage technologies demonstrating different aspects of flexible electronics for textile integration, from functional electronic materials, printing and fabrication process up-scale, to the design and integration of electronics into garments. 

Wearable electronics offers a remarkable opportunity for tackling key societal healthcare challenges. The European Parliament Scientific and Technology Options Assessment Panel has identified wearables as one of the ten technologies that will change our lives in the coming years. The results from this proposal have the potential to cover a broad range of the UK government’s Industrial Strategy points; immediately addressing the need for value added manufacturing by industrialising the next generation of e‑textiles.

Duncan Lindsay, Business Development Director at CPI, said: ​“We are delighted to be providing our expertise and state of the art equipment to tackle the important challenge of scaling up production of flexible electronics for e‑textiles. The Feelers project demonstrates the importance of bringing end-users into the development process, and CPI is playing a vital role in this, helping bring an idea to commercialisation’’.

“We are delighted to be part of the project, which enables Dycotec Materials to extend its existing portfolio of products, including conductive, insulating and adhesive inks for the wearables market. We see great opportunity working with companies at the forefront of wearable technology such as KYMIRA and look forward to closely collaborating with the world renowned UK centre for printed electronics, CPI” stated Dr Ian Clark, Director of Business Development at Dycotec Materials Ltd.

Phil Kunovski, CTO at KYMIRA Ltd added, ​“I’ve been looking forward to starting this project ever since we received the positive notification from Innovate UK. This planned work as part of this industrial research will be critical to many of KYMIRA’s smart garment ambitions, and I’m very pleased to be working with both CPI and Dycotec Materials, both of whom are highly capable and knowledgeable partners in their respective fields.”