The fascination with technology and the possible ways of using it has driven designers, technologists and engineers to develop and embed a variety of electronic elements in many products over the last few decades. Textiles, with their omnipresence in our lives, are no exception to this.

Progresses in smart textiles are normally linked with developments or improvements of other technologies. For example, advances in the field of nanotechnology are currently among the main engines of printed electronics, as explained by Zachary Davis, team manager for Teknologisk Institut’s Nano inks section. In a recent video interview he listed some of the benefits of using nanotechnology: 1) digital printing enables mass customisation with personalised production; 2) it saves material because nanomaterials can be more efficient; and 3) it improves performances [1]. This means that to get a complete picture of what is practically achievable in the short-to-medium term, and what is – possibly – attainable after medium-to-long-term research, one needs to have a precise idea of the current technologies available on the market and their limitations. Other areas such as mobile technology, wireless communication and miniaturisation of computer devices have all expanded and collaborated to increase the amount of smart textile and garment prototypes.

In a previous article, we tried to shed light on the definition and categorisation of smart textiles and e-textiles. In Part I of this report, we aim to establish a timeline of the smart fabric’s evolution, to emphasise both historical and modern materials and applications. Moreover, we address the general description of smart textiles components, where a more detailed picture of the types of sensors and sensor/actuators is also given.

In the following Part II of this report, we will examine what materials are currently used to create the various components of e-textiles, with a closer look at the manufacturing methods of e-fabrics and smart garments. And finally, the properties needed to transform smart fabrics into the wonder materials of the future will be covered along with a list of challenges that researchers and businesses have to face.

The amount of research in the field is impressive, hence it would be impossible to discuss in detail all the properties of every electronic component or the variety of materials that they are made of. Nevertheless, this publication represents an attempt to provide a comprehensive revision of what has been done so far, and to offer a broad overview of the topic to anyone that is approaching this dynamic field.