Speakers

Adding electronics into uniforms could increase worker safety and enhance situational awareness and operational capabilities. Clare King will talk about the challenges of designing and manufacturing smart uniforms, her company's involvement over the last decade in the development of smart uniforms for fire fighters and current work with the US Navy.

Clare King is President of Propel LLC, founded in 2006 and dedicated to the development of transformative textile technologies for the US Military and Fire Services. Clare holds degrees from Oxford University and Princeton. She started her career as an economist, but was drawn first to technical garment design (her first start up) and is now acknowledged as a subject matter expert in the development of advanced textile solutions for first responders and the military. Clare has worked for both very large (e.g. GE) and very small companies; Propel her second start up.

Propel LLC, Pawtucket RI USA, is a company dedicated to the development of transforming textile technologies for the US Military and Fire Services. Using a wealth of experience in textile materials and processes, the Propel team thinks about and solves complex problems from conceptualization through materials development, prototyping and full-scale manufacturing. Current projects include two highly significant contracts with the US Navy, and, partnered with Patagonia Inc., the design and prototyping of a suit for emergency use inside US submarines.