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E-Textiles 2019-2029: Technologies, Markets and Players
A comprehensive review of materials, processes, components, products and markets
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Electronic textiles (e-textiles) involves the combination of electronics and textiles to form "smart" textile products. With research compiled over 6 years, a database of over 200 companies in the sector, primary research on activities over 100 companies, coverage of each major product type, market and application that has been discussed and deployed, historic data back to 2010 and forecasts from 2019 to 2029, this is the most comprehensive study compiled on this technology area.
We are in contact with textiles for up to 98% of our lives, and they are starting to become intelligent. Part of this revolution includes the integration of electronics and textiles. The ideas for e-textiles have been around for decades, but with increasing commercial focus in the last 30 years. Today, e-textiles remains a fragmented sector in relative commercial infancy. However, many industry players throughout the value chain are lining up to offer the next generation of smart textile products. From clothing to bandages, bed linen to industrial fabrics, new products are appearing throughout a variety of verticals as this technology area is increasingly explored.
Percentage of e-textile players using each material type, derived from IDTechEx's survey of over 200 suppliers and manufacturers in the space
Image Source: E-Textiles 2019-2029 (IDTechEx Research)
This report covers the entire e-textiles value chain, covering the wide range of materials (including metals, polymers, fibres, yarns, textiles (knitted, woven, embroidered, non-woven) and emerging materials) and components (sensors, connectors and the interface to traditional electronics, etc.) used today. It also presents a roadmap for the future, summarising academic and early prototyping work in areas such as new conductive fibres, stretchable electronics, energy harvesting, energy storage, logic and memory, into a set of 30 examples in order to suggest future potential.
In the last few years, IDTechEx has witnessed a developing maturity in the e-textiles value chain. Whilst companies have been able to manufacture and sell e-textiles products for decades, challenges around reliability, cross-compatibility & standards, equipment suitability, materials availability and overhead costs have been prohibitive in many emerging market opportunities. However, thanks to significant investment and partnerships, some of these barriers are being lowered, with more players able to make more advanced e-textile products as less prohibitive prices. These developments improve the chances that emerging e-textile products have against incumbent options in each of the markets they target.
The proposed markets for e-textile products are very broad. The report describes efforts across a series of key market sectors (including medical & healthcare, sports & fitness, military & space, enterprise, PPE & other workwear, fashion, heated clothing, home e-textiles, etc.), as well as other specific product types or groups that span different potential application areas (such as animal wearables, automotive interiors, motion capture, haptic suits and assistive clothing). Each area has a unique mix of requirements, drivers and relevant industry players, so it is critical to understand the detail of the dynamics in each space in order to successfully plan and grow with this industry.
The big picture for e-textiles is extremely promising. There is an unquestionable potential when combining the comfort, feel and look of textiles with the functionality, connectivity and intelligence of electronics, and these broad-brush industry sectors give only part of the picture. E-textile products are being explored in many exciting niches, from body motion capture, to prevention of multi-billion dollar diseases and side effects, to improving road safety, and many more. Many such areas are discussed in the report, including the latest activities from the most relevant players.
With continuous parallel research across the emerging technology ecosystem (including reports on conductive inks, stretchable electronics, wearable technology, printed electronics, printed and flexible sensors, the Internet of Things, emerging energy storage, advanced woundcare, healthcare & life sciences, and many more) IDTechEx has leveraged a broad network and experience across the team of expert analysts for this research. On top of this, IDTechEx hosts leading events covering e-textile technology, and the analyst team travels, speaks and meets companies globally each year. The result of these efforts enables this report to be the most comprehensive characterisation of the e-textiles industry today, and an excellent resource for any player involved or actively investigating this space.
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| 1. | EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS |
| 1.1. | Executive introduction |
| 1.2. | Timeline: Historic context for e-textiles |
| 1.3. | Timeline: Commercial beginnings and early growth |
| 1.4. | Timeline: A boom in interest, funding and activity |
| 1.5. | Timeline: Challenges emerge from the optimism |
| 1.6. | Addressing industry challenges |
| 1.7. | Timeline: Present day and outlook |
| 1.8. | Commercial progress with e-textile projects |
| 1.9. | E-textile product types |
| 1.10. | Four key product types, and their different target markets |
| 1.11. | Types of revenue |
| 1.12. | Market data and forecast methodology |
| 1.13. | Revenue in e-textiles, by market sector |
| 1.14. | Summary: Market data and forecasts |
| 1.15. | Materials usage in e-textiles |
| 1.16. | Key report conclusions |
| 2. | INTRODUCTION |
| 2.1. | Definitions |
| 2.2. | E-Textiles: Where textiles meet electronics |
| 2.3. | The intersection of electronics and textiles industries |
| 2.4. | Examples of e-textile products |
| 2.5. | Context within the broader subject: Wearable Technology |
| 2.6. | Key trends in wearable technology |
| 2.7. | Related applications in Technical Textiles |
| 2.8. | Modern developments in context |
| 2.9. | Prominent related areas to e-textiles |
| 2.10. | Electromagnetic Shielding |
| 2.11. | Antistatic protective clothing |
| 2.12. | Antimicrobial textiles |
| 2.13. | Thermal regulation in textiles |
| 2.14. | Protective clothing for impact resistance |
| 2.15. | Colour changes in textiles |
| 2.16. | Strategies for creating textile-integrated electronics |
| 2.17. | Challenges when moving into the e-textiles space |
| 2.18. | Parallel investments in textile innovation |
| 2.19. | Recent patent filings in e-textiles |
| 2.20. | Historic patent holders in e-textiles |
| 3. | E-TEXTILE MATERIALS AND COMPONENTS |
| 3.1.1. | Chapter contents |
| 3.1.2. | E-textile material use over time |
| 3.1.3. | E-textile material use today |
| 3.1.4. | Example suppliers for each material type |
| 3.2. | Fibres and Yarns |
| 3.2.1. | Hybrid yarns can be conductive, elastic and comfortable |
| 3.2.2. | Electronic components integrated into yarns |
| Primary interviews with 3x example companies | |
| 3.2.6. | New conductive fibres from industry and academia |
| 3.2.7. | Drexel University: Conductive yarns from Natural Fibre Welding |
| 3.2.8. | UT, Dallas: SEBS / NTS stretchable wires |
| 3.2.9. | Sungkyunkwan University: PU & Ag nanoflowers |
| 3.2.10. | MIT: Stretch sensors using CNTs on polybutyrate |
| 3.3. | Textiles / fabrics |
| 3.3.1. | Textiles and Fabrics |
| 3.3.2. | Woven e-textiles |
| 3.3.3. | Example: Project Jacquard |
| 3.3.4. | Knitted e-textiles |
| 3.3.5. | 3D knitting manufacturing techniques |
| 3.3.6. | Example: Knitted e-textile woundcare |
| 3.3.7. | Example: Knitted conductors by Gunze, Japan |
| 3.3.8. | Embroidered e-textiles |
| 3.3.9. | Entirely metallic fabrics |
| 3.3.10. | Metal-plated fabrics |
| 3.3.11. | Selective etching of metal-plated textiles |
| 3.3.12. | Novel approaches to conductive textiles: CNT & graphene |
| 3.4. | Cabling and wiring |
| 3.4.1. | Introduction: cabling and wiring |
| 3.4.2. | Traditional cabling in e-textile products |
| 3.4.3. | Textile Cabling |
| 3.4.4. | Metal wiring integrated into textiles |
| 3.5. | Conductive inks |
| 3.5.1. | Inks and Encapsulation |
| 3.5.2. | An explosion in ink suppliers for e-textiles |
| 3.5.3. | E-textile products with conductive inks |
| 3.5.4. | Examples and data from conductive ink suppliers |
| 3.5.5. | Challenges with conductive inks in e-textiles |
| 3.6. | Conductive polymers |
| 3.6.1. | Carbon rubbers as electrodes in compression garments |
| 3.6.2. | PEDOT as a conductive e-textile material |
| 3.7. | E-textile components |
| 3.7.1. | Components: Textile vs conventional |
| 3.7.2. | Find the box! |
| 3.7.3. | Working alongside conventional electronics |
| 3.7.4. | Textile electrodes |
| Primary interviews with 3x example companies | |
| 3.7.8. | Textile heating |
| Primary interviews with 3x example companies | |
| 3.7.12. | Textile lighting - LEDs |
| 3.7.13. | Textile lighting - Electroluminescence |
| 3.7.14. | Optical fibres as sensors in e-textile products |
| 3.7.15. | Moisture sensors |
| 3.8. | Connectors |
| 3.8.1. | Connectors for e-textiles |
| 3.8.2. | Connector options today |
| 3.8.3. | Snap fasteners |
| 3.8.4. | Thermoplastic adhesive bonding: Fraunhofer IZM |
| 3.8.5. | Soldering |
| 3.8.6. | Conductive adhesives |
| 3.8.7. | Metallic contacts: conventional and bespoke |
| 3.8.8. | Embroidery |
| 4. | ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE FUTURE OF E-TEXTILES |
| 4.1. | Energy harvesting techniques in textiles |
| 4.1.1. | Piezoelectric fibres: Georgia Institute of Technology, USA |
| 4.1.2. | Piezoelectric fibres: University of Bolton, UK |
| 4.1.3. | Piezoelectric Fabric |
| 4.1.4. | Piezoelectric Fabric: University of Bolton, UK |
| 4.1.5. | Concordia University XS Labs, Canada |
| 4.1.6. | Cornell University, USA |
| 4.1.7. | Georgia Institute of Technology, USA |
| 4.1.8. | Southampton University, UK |
| 4.1.9. | University of California Berkeley, USA |
| 4.1.10. | Energy-Scavenging Nanofibers: UC Berkeley, USA |
| 4.1.11. | Photovoltaic Fibres |
| 4.1.12. | Illuminex, USA |
| 4.1.13. | Penn State University, USA |
| 4.1.14. | University of Southampton, UK |
| 4.1.15. | Multi-mode energy harvesting in textiles |
| 4.2. | Energy storage |
| 4.2.1. | Textile Supercapacitors |
| 4.2.2. | Drexel University, USA |
| 4.2.3. | Imperial College London, UK |
| 4.2.4. | Stanford University, USa |
| 4.2.5. | University of Delaware, USA |
| 4.2.6. | University of Wollongong, Australia |
| 4.2.7. | Flexible Woven Batteries |
| 4.2.8. | Polytechnic School of Montreal, Canada |
| 4.3. | Logic and Memory |
| 5. | E-TEXTILES PRODUCTS AND MARKETS |
| 5.1.1. | Types of revenue |
| 5.1.2. | Forecast methodology within this report |
| 5.1.3. | E-textile product types |
| 5.1.4. | 4 key product types, and their different target markets |
| 5.1.5. | Summary: Revenue from e-textiles products, by type |
| 5.1.6. | Summary: Revenue in e-textiles, by market sector |
| 5.1.7. | Discussion by market sector |
| 5.2. | Medical and healthcare |
| 5.2.1. | Patient monitoring using e-textiles |
| 5.2.2. | Biometric monitoring in apparel |
| 5.2.3. | Example: Taiwan Textile Research Institute (TTRI) |
| 5.2.4. | Bedsore / pressure ulcer prevention |
| Primary interviews with 2x example companies | |
| 5.2.7. | Side-effect management for diabetes |
| Primary interviews with 2x example companies | |
| 5.2.10. | Urinary incontinence |
| 5.2.11. | Primary interview with 1x example company |
| 5.2.12. | Measuring gait |
| 5.2.13. | Wound care and compression therapies |
| 5.3. | Case study: Biometric monitoring in apparel |
| 5.3.1. | Related products: HRM Chest Straps |
| 5.3.2. | Integrating HRM into clothing |
| 5.3.3. | Sensors used in smart clothing for biometrics |
| 5.3.4. | Other common components found in similar products |
| 5.3.5. | Companies with biometric monitoring apparel products |
| Case studies from 7x example comapnies | |
| 5.3.16. | Companies no longer operating |
| 5.3.17. | Details of 58 companies with biometric apparel products |
| 5.4. | Sports and fitness |
| 5.4.1. | Sports & Fitness: Overview |
| 5.4.2. | Sports & Fitness: Key product characteristics |
| 5.4.3. | Sports & Fitness: The impact of VC funding |
| 5.4.4. | Efforts from the largest apparel brands |
| 5.4.5. | Efforts in biometric apparel from dedicated brands |
| 5.5. | Military and space |
| 5.5.1. | Introduction: Military and Space |
| Details of 5x projects in this area | |
| 5.6. | Enterprise, PPE and other workwear |
| 5.6.1. | Introduction: E-textiles in PPE |
| 5.6.2. | Safety lighting using e-textiles |
| 5.6.3. | E-textiles in firefighting apparel |
| Primary interviews with 4x companies | |
| 5.7. | Fashion |
| 5.7.1. | Bespoke e-textile projects in high fashion |
| 5.7.2. | Premium high street apparel with e-textiles |
| 5.7.3. | Mass market fashion with e-textiles: Lighting |
| 5.8. | Heated clothing |
| 5.8.1. | Overview: Heated clothing |
| Primary and background interviews with 6x companies | |
| 5.9. | Smart home products |
| 5.9.1. | Smart home products: Beds, blankets, etc. |
| Primary interviews with 3x example companies | |
| 5.10. | Hospitality markets |
| 5.11. | Automotive interiors |
| 5.11.1. | Vehicular interiors |
| Primary interviews with 3x example companies | |
| 5.12. | Wearable technology for animals |
| 5.12.1. | Example: Bioelectronics for animals using e-textiles |
| 5.12.2. | Example: Biometric monitoring for racehorses |
| 5.13. | Motion capture |
| Primary interviews with 2x example companies | |
| 5.14. | Haptic suits |
| 5.15. | Haptic suits using e-textiles |
| 5.15.1. | Assistive clothing |
| 5.15.2. | Examples of other assistive exoskeletons and clothing |
| 5.15.3. | Primary interviews with 1x example company |
| Primary interviews with 1x example company | |
| Assistive clothing - towards soft, powered exoskeletons | |
| 6. | MARKET FORECASTS |
| 6.1. | Market data and forecast methodology |
| 6.2. | E-textiles historic revenue data, 2019 - 2029 |
| 6.3. | E-textiles sales revenue forecast, 2019 - 2029 |
| 6.4. | E-textiles historic product volume data, 2019 - 2029 |
| 6.5. | E-textiles product volume forecast, 2019 - 2029 |
| 7. | PRIMARY RESEARCH AND INTERVIEWS FROM MAJOR EVENTS |
| 7.1. | Event reports: Contents |
| 7.2. | IDTechEx Show, 2016 |
| 7.2.1. | The IDTechEx Show! - Santa Clara, CA (November 2016) |
| Details of interviews with 15 companies at the event | |
| 7.3. | CES 2017 |
| 7.3.1. | Introduction |
| Details of interviews with 8 companies at the event | |
| 7.4. | Textile International Forum and Exhibition 2017 |
| 7.4.1. | Overview |
| 7.4.2. | Are Standards Fit for Purpose? |
| 7.4.3. | Medical-Grade Signals |
| 7.4.4. | Circular Economy |
| 7.4.5. | Taiwan Textile Research Institute Exhibition |
| 7.4.6. | Exhibition |
| 7.4.7. | Patient Monitoring |
| 7.4.8. | Patient Monitoring: live trial in a Taipei hospital |
| 7.4.9. | Lighting |
| 7.4.10. | Sports |
| 7.4.11. | Other Functional Fabrics |
| 7.4.12. | Korean smart textiles development flourishes amidst government funding of Industry 4.0 trends |
| 7.4.13. | Contents |
| 7.5. | Event summary: "Preview in Seoul 2017" |
| Details of 14 different application areas demonstrated at the event | |
| 7.5.15. | Conclusions |
| 7.6. | E-textiles at CES 2018 34 |
| 7.6.1. | CES 2018: E-textiles remain strong as other wearable sectors decline |
| Details of interviews with 16 companies at the event | |
| 7.7. | E-textiles at CES 2019 36 |
| 7.7.1. | Comparing CES 2019 with previous years |
| 7.7.2. | Impressions by company |
| Details of interviews with 12 companies at the event | |
| 8. | DETAILS OF 182 E-TEXTILE COMPANIES |
| 9. | COMPANY PROFILES |
| 9.1. | @-Health |
| 9.2. | Adidas Wearable Sports Electronics |
| 9.3. | AiQ Smart Clothing |
| ... Primary interviews with an additional 31 companies | |
| 9.35. | Vista Medical |
| 9.36. | Vitali |
| 9.37. | Xenoma |
The market for e-textiles will reach over $2 billion by 2029
Report Statistics
| Slides | 463 |
|---|---|
| Companies | 37 |
| Forecasts to | 2029 |
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