Project

The proposed research project aims to develop knitted self-generating sensors (KSGS) for wearable applications. KSGS, regarded as a basic element for smart clothes, use the energy of human, clothing or surrounding movements, converted into electricity by the triboelectric effect – generation of the electric charge through the relative motion of the yarns of sensor’s knitted structure. The project activities will contribute to the study of triboelectrification mechanisms in knitted structures made of fibrous materials, as well as will allow to create a new class of electroactive sensors, made using one of the basic clothing manufacturing techniques - knitting, thus making sensor integration into clothing elements natural part of the garment manufacturing process. The development of such sensors reduces the environmental burden by decreasing energy consumption by wearables, that uses such sensors, hence reducing need for replaceable batteries or accumulators, alongside such sensors could be recycled as ordinary clothing. The project involves fundamental and applied research and will mature the project team by making it internationally visible owing scientific publishing at high impact. The project is contributing to the RIS3 National economy transformation direction “Smart materials, technologies, and engineering systems” in Latvia.