With further development, the technology could lead to shirts that act as antennas for your smart phone or tablet, workout clothes that monitor your fitness level, sports equipment that monitors athletes’ performance, a bandage that tells your doctor how well the tissue beneath it is healing — or even a flexible fabric cap that senses activity in the brain."A revolution is happening in the textile industry," said Volakis, who is also the Roy & Lois Chope Chair Professor of Electrical Engineering at Ohio State."Recently, he and Kiourti refined their patented fabrication method to create prototype wearables at a fraction of the cost and in half the time as they could only two years ago. Like other modern sewing machines, it embroiders thread into fabric automatically based on a pattern loaded via a computer file. With new patents pending, they published the new results in the journal IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters."—Source: eurekalert. "We believe that functional textiles are an enabling technology for communications and sensing — and one day even medical applications like imaging and health monitoring.org.With this advance, the Ohio State University researchers have taken the next step toward the design of functional textiles —clothes that gather, store, or transmit digital information.

A milestone for wearable electronicsclothes that receive and transmit digital information are closer to reality.In Volakis’ lab, the functional textiles, also called "e-textiles," are created in part on a typical tabletop sewing machine — the kind that fabric artisans and hobbyists might have at home.That last item is one that John Volakis, director of the ElectroScience Laboratory at Ohio State, and research scientist Asimina Kiourti are investigating. The researchers substitute the thread with fine silver metal wires that, once embroidered, feel the same as traditional thread to the touch. The idea is to make brain implants, which are under development to treat conditions from epilepsy to addiction, more comfortable by eliminating the need for external wiring on the patient’s body.1 mm precision — the perfect size to integrate electronic components such as sensors and computer memory devices into clothing.Researchers, who are working to develop wearable electronics, have reached a milestone: They are able to embroider circuits into fabric with 0. "Now, for the first time, we’ve achieved the accuracy of coated fabric factory printed metal circuit boards, so our new goal is to take advantage of the precision to incorporate receivers and other electronic components."We started with a technology that is very well known--W machine embroidery — and we asked, how can we functionalise embroidered shapes How do we make them transmit signals at useful frequencies, like for cell phones or health sensors " Volakis said.

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"We have foreigners visiting the conventional tourist destinations in Burdwan and Murshidabad districts. Apart from opening an exclusive outlet for muslin at a prime location in south Kolkata (Dakshinapan market) we have also tied up with an NGO for the sale of the fabric," the board official said.The three places chosen by the board for the circuit are Baharampur in Mursidabad district and Akalpoush and Sasinara in Burdwan district, he said. Baluchar had been a hub for the exotic Baluchari saris and silk even in the 17th century. The board is hopeful that the tent fabric factory foreign embassies and consulates will help it in its plan. WBKVIB has already conducted a pilot project in this connection in Burdwan and Baluchar. We are planning to do it after Durga Puja," chairman of the West Bengal khadi and village industries board (WBKVIB) Gouri Sankar Dutta told PTI."Foreigners love to sit with the weavers and join hands with them in the preparation of the handmade fine fabric.

With an aim to boost the market of its prized muslin fabric, the West Bengal government is planning to introduce a muslin tourism circuit in the state soon, a top official has said."We have changed our marketing strategy. We feel that if we can provide them the opportunity to watch the production process, chances of them buying the products will go up," the officer said. They (Society) will take the foreign tourists to the places chosen for the circuit," another officer of WBKVIB said."We are very happy with the kind of response we have received at these two places during the pilot project," Mr Dutta said. We want them to see how muslin fabric is manufactured. The board has already changed its stance in the marketing of muslin fabric keeping in mind the ensuing festive season."Our aim is to bring our muslin tourism circuit to the forefront..The WBKVIB plans to take foreign tourists visiting West Bengal to these places and for the purpose it will take the help of the Society for Kindling Handicrafts and Indigenous Art which organises tours. "We are also considering including Baluchar in Jiaganj in Murshidabad district in the circuit," Mr Dutta added.

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