SMART

TEXTILES
KNITTED BLOOD VESSELS
Textiles that save lives

SHIRT RECHARGES YOUR CELL

Soon you will be able to take a walk and recharge your
cellphone at the same time

METAL ON THE CATWALK

Nhu Duong uses one of five machines
in the world

THE IMPOSSIBLE IS ONLY A CHALLENGE

WITH THE HELP OF SMART TEXTILES, RENATA CHLUMSKA WILL BE THE FIRST SWEDISH WOMAN IN SPACE
EDITORIAL STAFF
Susanne Nejders and Therese Rosenblad Ericsson,
Smart Textiles, University of Bors.
Elof Ivarsson and Pia Silver, PWR Communication.
LAYOUT & PRODUCTION
PWR Communication. www.pwr.se
COVER PHOTO
Ida Lindstrm.

PUBLISHER:
Erik Bresky, University of Bors.

SMART TEXTILES IS A PART OF:

 THE IMPOSSIBLE IS ONLY A CHALLENGE
WITH THE HELP OF SMART TEXTILES, RENATA CHLUMSKA WILL BE THE FIRST SWEDISH WOMAN IN SPACE
SPACE: THE FINAL FRONTIER...

Fabrics that purify water using nothing but the sun as an energy source. Clothes that can take an EKG or become cool at extreme temperatures.
The textiles of the future will improve peoples everyday lives and benefit the industry, the health care sector and the environment. The textile industry is about to take
a giant step from being a supplier of fabrics to become a positive force in the development of society. Smart Textiles is the place where textile innovations are created
in Northern Europe, from experimental research to company driven projects. With over 350 research and company driven projects since its foundation in 2006,
Smart Textiles has not only established itself as a motor in the Swedish textile industry but also as an important international player.
Research
& development
of smart textiles
create unique
opportunities
for Sweden.
From a global perspective, the textile industry and Smart Textiles is a unique research environment, offering eve-
the trade with textile and fashion products is one of rything from research on fiber technology to aesthetics: a re-
the largest and most diverse businesses. search area that has no peer in the Nordic countries. Smart
Textiles creates opportunities for the industry to develop new
Today, the textile field is so much more than just fabrics and
materials, fibers and processes that can be used to meet futu-
clothes. Textiles are used for applications ranging from e.g.
re demands for new solutions and green products.
reinforcement materials in composite materials used in air-
planes and sound absorbing walls to advanced textile blood
What characterizes the success of the Smart Textiles Ini-
vessels (more about this on page 68). Quality requirements
tiative is a clear view of the objective, namely promoting the
increase constantly, new materials are developed all the time
creation of new businesses, new jobs and new, innovative
and new applications are continuously identified, not least by
textile products. In order to succeed, businesses, research-
the Smart Textiles Initiative.
ers and other players have to dedicate themselves to working
together. Research and development of smart textiles create
Despite harsh international competition, Sweden is still home
unique opportunities for Sweden. Today, 60,000 people work
to world-leading research and businesses in textile and fa-
in the Swedish textile industry and Swedish textile busines-
shion. The textile materials also bring new, exciting business
ses employ many more in other parts of the world. The export
ventures to life. The ability to find products aimed at speci-
value of the Swedish textile industry amounted to around 19
fic market niches and being unique is crucial to success. High
billion SEK in 2012.
technology and world-leading quality awareness makes the
Swedish textile industry an industry for the future.
In this magazine you are given the opportunity to read more
about the exciting journey of Smart Textiles, its projects and
co-workers. Smart Textiles know no boundaries!

Ola Toftegaard, Chairman of the Smart Textiles Steering Group.

 CONTENTS

LIGHTER THAN AIR, STRONGER THAN KRYPTONITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9

BORS STUDENT IN ITALIAN VOGUE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11
MEJT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11
OLA SALO IN KNITTED COPPER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11
KNIGHT OF TRUE RESEARCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-15
SMART TEXTILES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-17
CLOTHING FOR EXTREME CONDITIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
TEXTILE REINFORCEMENT LIGHTENS THE WORK LOAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
A SMARTER CATWALK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-23

Smart Textiles Technology Lab

Electrically conductive fibers, interactive textiles, textile integrated medical electronics, textile acoustics,
phase-change fibers, textile photonics. Taste the words; these are some of the research areas . . . . . . . . . 24-28

FEWER VISITS FOR HEART PATIENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

SHIRT RECHARGES YOUR CELL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
INVISIBLE HELMET SOON TO BE SMART TEXTILE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Smart Textiles PROTOTYPE FACTORY

Full-scale labs with top competence, creativity and networking in an open, innovative environment.
This is center is the obvious place to go to realize ideas and for development through prototype
construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30-35

THE RELUCTANT BORSER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36-39

QUALITY OF LIFE IN A DRESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
THE FEELING OF NOT HAVING TO BE EMBARRASSED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
WOVEN ELECTRODES PROTECT PRETERM BABIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Cloned frogs on Gala-dress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
LADY GAGA IN IRONIC FURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Modeink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Recurring Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44-45
THE IMPOSSIBLE IS ONLY A CHALLENGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46-49

Smart Textiles Design Lab

Smart Textiles Design Lab turns textile traditions and concepts upside down
through experimental research on new, expressive materials and construc-
tion methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50-55

MISSION POSSIBLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56-59

Smart Textiles showroom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60-61
HIDDEN SMART TEXTILES ON THE CATWALK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62-63
EXPLORER OF TEXTILE INNOVATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64-67
KNITTED BLOOD VESSEL TAKES SHAPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
TEXTILE DISK WILL INCREASE MOBILITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
A TEXTILE THAT EXPANDS BLOOD VESSELS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
MANY WHO VISITED BORS WERE NEVER HERE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70-75
THE DUTCH CONNECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76-79
RECYCLED WASTE BECOMES NEW TEXTILE MATERIALS . . . . . . 81
IKEA BELIEVES IN THE POWER OF INNOVATION . . . . . . . 80-81
TEXTILE FASHION CENTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82-85
SMART TEXTILES PROJECTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86-89
SMART TEXTILES STEERING GROUP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90-91

6
LIGTHER THAN AIR, STRONGER THAN KRYPTONITE
Race bikes, golf clubs, F1 cars, airplanes, car bumpers,
snowboards, sailboat masts or hockey sticks. The echoes
of the creation of an exciting innovation for carbon fiber
materials will resound in many places. PAGES 8-9

KNIGHT OF TRUE RESEARCH

Im proud of the fact that theres no use at all for the
things we do, Lars Hallns says with an unexpected,
mischievous smile. Lars is a Professor in Design at The
Swedish School of Textiles and although the School itself
does not require research to be useful, he is also the Head
of the Smart Textiles Design Lab and initiator of the entire
Smart Textiles Initiative, the main idea of which is to
work with applied design research. PAGES 12-15

THE IMPOSSIBLE IS ONLY A CHALLENGE

I want to be the first! Mons Huygens is 5,500 meters
high and the tallest mountain on the Moon. It is only a
matter of time until someone climbs it and puts up a flag on
the summit, says Renata Chlumska. It would be marvelous
if I was that someone. PAGES 46-49

SMART TEXTILES HIDDEN ON THE CATWALK

Designer Nhu Duong always strives to explore new
materials. Together with Smart Textiles, she developed
trailblazing creations for the catwalk at Stockholm Fashion
Week 2012. PAGES 62-63

KNITTED BLOOD VESSEL TAKES SHAPE

Within a year after having had bypass surgery, one third of
the patients suffer another blockage of the blood vessel. It
is hoped that Ygraft, a uniquely designed textile blood vessel,
will solve this problem. PAGE 68

7
 Lighter than air
stronger than Kryptonite
Race bikes, golf clubs, F1 cars,
airplanes, car bumpers, snowboards,
sailboat masts or hockey sticks.
The echoes of the creation of an exciting innovation for carbon
fiber materials will resound in many places. This is no secret
to Nandan Khokar, who is a Professor in Textile Technology for
Composite Materials at The Swedish School of Textiles but
who has his roots in India. He is an internationally renowned
pioneer in 3D Weaving, Tape Weaving and Noobing processes,
which are used in the manufacturing of advanced carbon fiber
reinforcements by the companies Biteam och Oxeon.
Dr Nandan Khokars research was eventually developed into
a business concept and in 2003 laid the foundation for the
Bors-based company Oxeon, which since has become a lea-
ding player in the industry. Despite the financial crisis, the
business has grown rapidly over the past few years and in
2010, Oxeon received the DI Gasell Award as the fastest
growing business in Sweden.
8
One cannot complain Oxeons customers fail to distinguish
themselves. All of the teams who have won in F1 over the
past few years use Oxeons materials, which have become all
but standard materials today because they are ultralight and
super strong. The reigning Americas Cup champion Oracle
is a satisfied customer. As is the winning team of the Tour de
France.
The list of collaborations around extreme requirements on
strength and low weight is long and customers are found
all over the globe, in North America, Asia and Europe. Oxeon
continues to expand into new business areas, including e.g.
the space, automotive and aviation industries, as well as the
marine world.
PHOTO: OXEON.
 The list of collaborations around extreme requirements
on strength and low weight is long and customers are found
all over the globe, in North America, Asia and Europe.

9

1 BORS STUDENT IN ITALIAN VOUGE
Ida Klamborn has received a lot of attention
for her all red graduation collection. She won
the Italian Fabric Award in the Italian fashion
competition MittelModa and her design has
been displayed in both Vogue and Elle.
PHOTO: Isa Jacob.
10
2 Mejt
Did she come up with the idea of hidden
pockets on the island in Survivor? Susanne
Rittedal Sderblom has designed a belt with
a holder for the cellphone in a material that
protects the body from radiation. The result of
her collaboration with Smart Textiles has now
been marketed and allows you to carry your
cellphone both neatly and safely.
www.mejt.se PHOTO: Henrik Bengtsson.
1
3 OLA SALO IN KNITTED COPPER
For the recording of the Swedish version of
The Voice, the stylist borrowed garments from
Josefin Strid, a former student at The Swedish
School of Textiles. And among the borrowed
garments, her knitted copper pants. Ola Salo,
who was one of the participants in the show,
fell in love with them and wore them during his
appearance. Here, shown during the Stockholm
Fashion Week. PHOTO: Kristian Loveborg.
2 2

11
 KNIGHT OF
TRUE RESEARCH
TEXT: ELOF IVARSSON. PHOTO: IDA LINDSTRM. MATHEMATICAL FORMULA AND MUSIC: LARS HALLNS.
Im proud of the fact that theres no use at all for the things we do, Lars Hallns says with an unexpected,
mischievous smile. Then he flushes and takes it all back.
It is not true and you must not write that in the article, he
insists. However, the statement speaks of his attitude, his
strong opinions and the burning passion he harbors under-
neath a calm, intellectual surface. Basic research and edu-
cation must be defended with tooth and nail and prevented
from being watered down by compromises and commercial
concerns.
Lars is a Professor in Design at The Swedish School of Texti-
les and although the School itself does not require research
to be useful, he is also the head of the Smart Textiles Design
Lab and initiator of the entire Smart Textiles Initiative, the
main idea of which is to work with applied design research.
Contrary to his ambivalence towards utilitarian research,
which may appear somewhat odd in this light, Lars is convin-
ced the professional role of the textile designer is about to
face a radical change.
With changes on our doorstep, depth of knowledge is more
important than ever. There are so many things the textile
designers of the future will have to learn and that is the re-
ason the education needs to be continuously updated, says
Lars Hallns. For us to be able to do so in a sensible way,
the research organization of the department must function
properly.
He thinks the most important channels between the busi-
ness community and academia are the obvious ones, e.g.
12
thats is only natural for design students with positive ex-
periences from the University to return to it to make use
of the resources and knowledge available there. The field
of smart textiles draws a lot of attention today. A double-
edged sword in Larss opinion.
It is very difficult to make predictions about the future and
we should not do so lightly. Right now, many things revolve
around technology, but the consequences of this develop-
ment on the field of textile design has yet to be determined,
Lars says.
We must allow this to take time, results do not always
arrive overnight. And not always from where we expect
them to. The three branches of research in logics I found le-
ast useful for practical purposes twenty years ago are all of
them used in Wall Street today to control stock trade robots,
Lars continues.
It is possible to draw a parallel to the artificial intelligen-
ce hype of the mid-1980s. Vast amounts of money and ex-
pectations were invested in AI, but when the results did not
arrive as quickly as they had been promised, investors ran
out of steam. Despite this, we see the results of that rese-
arch in iPads and advanced cellphones. It may take some
time, why all involved parties must be patient and conti-
nue to make investments in order to see progress, is Larss
message.
13
 Anyone who imagined a Professor to be vain, dressing in
black and with that avant-garde look, will surely be surprised
when meeting Lars in person. He looks more like a typical
professor and his personality is very far from the stereoty-
pes we face in e.g. Project Runway. But then, his background
is quite unexpected, as well. Lars hasnt designed a single
garment or textile in his life.
He started his artistic career in the late 1960s by composing
music at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm and the
Malm Academy of Music. Since then, Lars has been active
as a composer of artistic music. The sound of this genre lies
far from that of popular music. He sees himself more as a
free artist than a musician. However, Larss career chang-
ed direction abruptly as he began studying theoretical phi-
losophy at Stockholm University. When he was awarded a
Doctors Degree in Mathematical Logics in 1983, few be-
lieved that knowledge would be of any practical use.
A few of my colleagues laughed and asked me what I
would do for a living, Lars reminisces. When I returned to
the department of philosophy a year later, I was the one
laughing.
The fifth generation of computers had just arrived and
mathematical logics happens to be the foundation of compu-
ter science. All of a sudden, people with expertise in this ob-
scure subject were sought after high and low. Lars ended up
at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, where
he worked with computer science for eighteen years. The
14
connection to textile design is not exactly crystal clear from
a laymans perspective.
Its not all that strange. Developing a computer language
is primarily about design, says Lars Hallns.
He explains that mathematics is largely about creating
worlds of ideas for the mathematician to explore. Thus, ha-
ving an ability to visualize ideas is extremely important when
working with higher mathematics. The ability to write for-
mulas that can carry the visualization across time and space
is mainly about graphic design and good aesthetics.
If you talk to a mathematician, you will often hear him say
that although a specific formula may be valid, he doesnt
care for it because its so ugly, Lars says.
At the turn of the millennium, a wave of exciting research
in interaction design reached the world from the new Me-
dia Lab at the prestigious American university MIT. The
point was that design and art had become increasingly
important as commercial factors and Apple was only one
example of this. Once again, Lars was in the right place,
with the right knowledge profile, at the right time when
the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research started the
PLAY studio in Gothenburg. At the studio, he worked with
all things digital that were considered play and games
rather than IT at work. After two years it was time to
move on. At the PLAY studio, Lars had met a textile desig-
ner from The Swedish School of Textiles, Linda Worbin. Lars
wanted to move to a more artistic field of work, closer to
 If you talk to a mathematician,
you will often hear him say that
although a specific formula may
be valid, he does not care for it
because it is so ugly.
les and it is important to have several different perspectives
for every idea. The new buildings and arenas will bring a con-
centration of thoughts and meetings.
With so many talented co-workers and doctoral students,
I cant but see the potential and I want to take it all as far
as I possibly can, Lars says. At present there are unique pos-
sibilities to initiate exciting projects. The pioneering spirit of
the Wild West comes to mind just pick a piece of uncharted
land and set to exploring it.

Smart Textiles is incredibly important for the textile deve-

where he had began his career at the Malm Academy of Mu- lopment of the entire Vstra Gtaland region, Lars says with
sic, why he found The Swedish School of Textiles appealing. complete conviction. There are many important connections
My family didnt exactly love the idea! My wife, who does to Gothenburg: through the health care sector, the automo-
a lot of weaving herself, found it difficult to see of what use tive industry and in many other areas. In twenty years time
I would be at the School, Lars says. In my view, all artistic much good will come to the region, which is to become a
work requires design. And vice versa. Also, I brought with textile cluster. Although we have already put Bors on the
me my conviction to prepare students for a professional international map, the future will be even better.
career. As a composer, I have learned that you cant fake One important factor of success is a supply of well-trained
a single thing if you expect an orchestra to play your music. people and we promote that fact at the moment. If theres
Professionalism is about knowing the ropes well. anything Im extra proud of, its all the competent research-
ers and doctoral students, says Lars Hallns. However, we
Lars came to The Swedish School of Textiles with new eyes must continue investing in them, otherwise it will be difficult
and identified two areas he wanted to focus on smart to remain successful and competitive in the future.
textiles and fashion design. How would he be able to de-
velop the approach to design and see the future in broader Lars sighs and looks genuinely worried despite the fact that
terms? The goal was to find solutions that would last for everything points to a bright future for the Smart Textiles
generations. Since 2002, when Lars Hallns was appointed Initiative. He is not called the Pessimist by his colleagues
Professor, the expansion of design research in Bors has for nothing!
been explosive: from zero to fourteen doctoral students.
It was Larss idea to have the Smart Textiles project become
an innovation environment. He had the vision, he wrote the
application for research grants, and the rewards were not
long in coming: attention at the European level was not the
least of them. In Europe, the name Bors is recognized and
held in high regard. One example of that is ArcInTex, an in-
ternational network for architecture, interaction design and
textiles that was initiated by the Smart Textiles Initiative in
Bors.
Ten years ago, we wouldnt have stood a chance to have
all the major players join in on this kind of project, says Lars
Hallns. Today, its the most natural thing in the world.

A change of immense proportions, naturally. Lars thinks this

change will be even more pronounced as the Smart Textiles
Initiative goes on to the next level through the creation of
the Textile Fashion Center. It is a groundbreaking effort to
promote development of the next generation of smart texti-

15
 SMART
TEXTILES
Fabrics that purify water using
nothing but the sun as energy source.
Clothes that can take an EKG or become
cool at extreme temperatures. Smart
textiles that revolutionizes our lives.
The textile industry is about to take a giant step from being the business community, institutions and the public sector
a supplier of fabrics to become a positive force in the de- come together to find the solutions of the future. As the
velopment of society. Textile innovations improve peoples Smart Textiles Initiative offers a complete solution inclu-
everyday lives and benefit the industry, the health care se- ding everything from basic research to prototype develop-
ctor and the environment. ment, it is the natural partner for realizing textile ideas or
meeting a need with textile technology.
However, innovations do not spring from nothing. It takes
an open environment where people from many different With over 350 research and company driven projects since
backgrounds are allowed to meet and involve in open-en- the foundation of the Initative in 2006, Smart Textiles has
ded communication to find both sought-after and unexpec- not only become a motor for the textile industry in Sweden
ted solutions. Smart Textiles is that innovation environ- but an important player on the international arena.
ment in Northern Europe. Today, the research community,

MADE, CREATED AND INITIATED WITHIN SMART TEXTILES DISTRIBUTION OF PROJECTS

Licentiate/Doctors degrees 22

105
Products
36 Architecture
& Interior
144 Design
Open
Prototypes
83 Applications

72
Businesses
29 Medical
37 & Health
Sports
& PPE

16
 358 RESEARCH AND COMPANY DRIVEN PROJECTS

38 RESEARCHERS

3 850 SQUARE METERS OF LABS

181 PARTNERS

= Smart Textiles
Smart Textiles is the natural partner for realizing
textile ideas or meeting a need with textile technology.
Over 350 research and company driven projects have
been carried since the Smart Textiles Initative was
founded in 2006.

DESIGN
LAB

THE SMART TEXTILES INITIATIVE is an environment built up around

close collaborations between the University of Bors, SP

Technical Research Institute of Sweden, Swerea IVF and the
prototype
factory Inkubator in Bors. Its main financiers are Vinnova, Region
Vstra Gtaland and the Sjuhrad Association of Local Autho-
TECHNOLOGY business rities. Smart Textiles is also funded by Sparbanksstiftelsen
LAB innovation
Sjuhrad and other research financiers.

17
 Clothes
Textile innovations by the small product development com-
pany TST in Kinna, have achieved major international succes-
ses. With the help of Smart Textiles, where Swerea IVF is a

for extreme major partner.

We dont think its necessary to keep all knowledge in-hou-

conditions
A textile protective suit that is comfortable to wear and
able to withstand water jets strong enough to cut through
concrete. A cooling vest for extreme temperatures that
has become a sales success for all kinds of professio-
nals, from smoke divers and top
athletes to musical artists.
se. Instead, we find partners and experts. From that point
of view, Smart Textiles has been extremely important to the
success of the projects, says Jrgen Lillieroth, CEO at TST
Sweden.
Together, they have developed a protective suit that is com-
fortable and easy to put on, unlike the suits in the market,
and one that doesnt compromise safety. Hydroblasting is a
common method of removing rust from e.g. oil platforms and
ships. The jets are so strong that they can cut through con-
crete, why the safety precautions around this kind of work is
often extensive.
If one doesnt wear sufficient protection, the jets will do
devastating damage, most often to arms and legs, Jrgen
Lillieroth says.

Another success is TEMPTECH, cooling and heating elements

made in a Phase Change Material (PCM), which have been
developed to meet the widely varying needs of e.g. a surgeon
who operates for six hours and a skier who plods through
snow in -10 C. The key to success is that the PCM mate-
rials and garments have been developed for optimal func-
tion in a variety of situations. The products have found a
large international market. The customers come mainly
from Northern Europe, but Japanese industries and
the US military can also be found on the list. Owing
to the international success, the company has hired
several new co-workers
and the future looks bright.
Ideas for new ways of using TEMPTECH pop up
all the time. Recently, someone suggested using
it for blankets used to help horses cool off, says
Jrgen Lillieroth.

PHOTO: www.tst-sweden.se

18
Textile reinforcement lightens the work load
Today, concrete reinforced with textile materials
is a quite uncommon building material in Sweden.
Designer Johan Forsberg has taken this type of
reinforcement one step closer to reality.
Many people in Sweden are probably familiar with his design:
his grandfathers clock Urbild is one of the props of the TV4
program Nyhetsmorgon and is often visible in the background
behind the show hosts. However, concrete is a difficult mate-
rial to work with, mostly because it is so heavy. This is partly
due to the material in itself, but also because holding it to-
gether requires steel reinforcement.
I contacted Smart Textiles a few years ago because I wan-
ted to access all knowledge there was about textile reinfor-
cement. As it turned out, almost no research had been done
PHOTO: Henrik Bengtsson.
on the subject in Sweden and all of a sudden we had started
a project together with SP Technical Research Institute of
Sweden and CBI Swedish Cement and Concrete Research
Institute, Johan Forsberg says.
According to the CBI, chances are good this research can be
used in different areas of the construction industry. Practical
uses of textile reinforcement include all the non-load bearing
parts of a house. Johan Forsberg already uses the innovation
for his designs.
I needed textile reinforcement to be able to introduce a
slimmer design for my products and today I have it. We use
the material for one of our tables and we have been able to
reduce the thickness of the table top considerably. Now, it
weighs about half as much as it did originally.
19
20
A SMARTER CATWALK
In the making of the collection Atelj
SS13, the Ann-Sofie Back brand made use
of the Knitting Lab at The Swedish School
of Textiles as part of a collaboration with
the Smart Textiles Prototype Factory.

21
 Various kinds of advanced
knitting techniques were used
to develop materials inspired by
sports tube socks.

22
23
 TECHNOLOGY LAB
Electrically conductive
fibers, interactive textiles,
textile integrated medical
electronics, textile
acoustics, phase-change
fibers, textile photonics.
Taste the words;
these are some of the
research areas at
Technology Lab.

PHOTO: Henrik Bengtsson.

24
Smart Textiles
Technology Lab
Within Smart Textiles, it is at the affectionately
nicknamed Tech Lab that innovative, technolo-
gical progress is made, owing to an open and
inspiring academic environment. The lab aims
to become the natural hub for development of
technical textiles in the Nordic countries.

The research carried out is characterized by collaborations

across disciplines and companies and also by the clear objec-
tive of creating new generations of textile products. In turn,
technological development through experimental research
will be driven by experimental product design, where product
ideas become tools for asking questions, creating solutions
and finding applications.

Technology Lab was established in collaboration with a large

number of national and international partners in order to
maximize the supply of possible solutions and new perspecti-
ves. At Tech Lab, the University of Bors collaborates through
The Swedish School of Textiles and the School of Engineering,
Swerea IVF through the department Textiles and Plastics,
the SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden and Chalmers
University of Technology through the Department of Materi-
als and Manufacturing Technology, research profile Polymer
Materials and Composites.

Electrically conductive fibers

In creating smartness, electronics is perhaps the best tool.
Electronics require electrically conductive materials. Mas-
tery of the manufacturing process of such materials is the
essence of all research in smart textiles. At Tech Lab, manu-
facturing electrically conductive fibers is a major research
area in which several different groups of researchers work
and several technologies are applied. Common to them all
is the creation of polymer-based or carbon-based materials,
i.e. not the traditional, metal-based ones. The focus of the
research is melt-spinning, where conductive polymers or
carbon is mixed and melted together with fiber-forming poly-
mers such as polyester and then fed at high speed through a
spinneret with microscopic holes. The fiber strands solidifies
rapidly and are simultaneously drawn out to become a con-
ductive yarn that can be used for weaving or knitting.

25
 Textile acoustics
Today, it is highly interesting to be able to utilize the
sound-affecting properties of textile materials in order to
create comfortable acoustic conditions in-doors. Textiles
allow development of more flexible solutions for sound
absorption.

Current research focuses on what happens at the acoustic

level when textiles are brought into a room. Where should
textile sound-absorbing elements be placed for a teacher to
be heard? Which fibers to use? How thin can one make the
textile and still maintain comfortable sound levels? How
does one construct such textiles? The research at Tech Lab
focuses on creating better environments using textiles with
sound-affecting properties. Here, the current paradigm is
abandoned, i.e that sound absorbing properties alone are
enough. Instead, other parameters that describe sound
quality are studied. For example, it is important for a teacher
to be heard all the way to the students at the back of the
classroom. Many Swedish companies work with textile
acoustics today, why the research is highly relevant.

Water purification
Textiles are large, two-dimensional, inexpensive, soft,
flexible and fluffy. What can those properties be used for?
For one thing, a system for purifying water. Photocatalysis
is a process in which chemical reactions that are harmful to
microorganisms occur when certain substances, such as tita-
nium dioxide, are exposed to light. The organisms are broken
down and become harmless. A textile is coated with titanium
dioxide and then put in water. If one allows it to be exposed
to sunlight, the system is run entirely on solar energy. At Tech
Lab, the design of these water purification systems and the
rational creation of a functioning product for manufacture
are researched. Today, one of the greatest global issues
concerns access to clean water. This research was initiated
not least with low income countries in mind.

PHOTO: Henrik Bengtsson.

26

Fiber optics
The principle is really simple: a pulse of light is sent through
one end and arrives at the other, virtually unaffected by the
distance in between. Modern broadband communication is
built on fiber optics. However, fiber optics can also be used
to take readings of the surrounding world. A change in tem-
perature, pH value, pressure or strain along the optical fiber
will change the signal and a sensor can gauge that change.
Textiles are per definition constructed of fibers, why the
TECHNOLOGY LAB
idea to combine textiles with fiber optics readily suggested
itself. At Tech Lab, work is done to create two-dimensional,
flexible sensors for measuring temperatures or pressure
for a large surface. Sensors are created through weaving,
embroidery and lamination and for use in industrial heat
monitoring, chemical discharge monitoring, wound care,
vibration monitoring in buildings, etc.
27
 Fewer visits for heart patients
Textile electrodes embedded in clothes are as accurate as traditional electrodes when monitoring the heart
and for measuring body composition, e.g. weight, body fat, muscle mass and hydration level. This is
shown by research conducted by Smart Textiles at the University of Bors and the KTH Royal
Institute of Technology. Traditional electrodes need the attention of trained medical staff
to be attached correctly using a conductive gel, which is sometimes allergenic.
Garments with embedded electrodes that are easily used by the patient him/
herself and that can be worn for long periods of time are beneficial
both for the patient and the health care institution.
And decrease the costs of health care.

Shirt recharges your cell

Take a walk and let your shirt recharge your cell-
phone. This scenario may soon become a reality as
Smart Textiles researcher Anja Lund has created a
fiber that produces electricity when it is exposed to
movement.

The phenomenon is called piezoelectricity and simply put

means that mechanical movements are converted into
electricity. Although various materials possess this pro-
perty naturally, e.g. quartz and various ceramic materials,
Anja Lund wanted to find out if it was possible to apply this
principle on textile materials when she started her research
a few years ago together with the Fiber Technology team at
Swerea IVF.

Anja sees future uses in e.g. the health care sector, where
the fibers could easily be integrated in clothes and used to
monitor heartbeats.

PHOTO: Henrik Bengtsson.

28
INVISIBLE HELMET
SOON TO BE SMART TEXTILE
When news of the Hvding helmet was
released in the fall of 2010, the world
reeled. Media from all over the world
wanted to know if it was true had a
Swedish company really developed an
invisible helmet? The success was a
fact and version 2.0 of the helmet, in
which smart textiles will be included,
is already being planned.

The Hvding helmet is called invisible

because it is only a helmet when it needs
to. Normally, it is worn as a collar and
when an accident occurs, it reacts much
like an airbag and becomes a helmet.
Behind the innovation and the company
named Hvding, we find Anna Haupt and
Terese Alstin.

During the development of the helmet

they came in contact with Smart Textiles.
They began as a business driven project
aimed at integrating the electronics used
in the helmet through textiles.
The process were too far gone to in-
corporate it in the first version. However,
in Hvding 2.0 we will exchange the
electrical components for cloth with
silver threads to increase the flexibility
of the helmet, says Anna Haupt.

PHOTO: www.hovding.se

29
 SMART TEXTILES

PROTOTYPE
FACTORY
Full-scale labs with top competence, creativity and networking
in an open, innovative environment. This is center is the obvious
place to go to realize ideas and for development through prototype
construction. In the labs at The Swedish School of Textiles,
research experience is combined with familiarity with the demands
of productization and manufacturing solutions. Potential partners
apply and the most exciting projects are selected for realization.

DESIGN
LAB

prototype
factory

TECHNOLOGY business
LAB innovation

PHOTO: Ida Lindstrm.

30
31
 PROTOTYPE FACTORY OUR LABS
DESIGN
LAB
prototype
factory
TECHNOLOGY business
LAB innovation
PROTOTYPE FACTORY
Prototype Factory is the heart of the
Smart Textiles Initiative. Here, all the
parts of and competences of the Initia-
tive come together. Researchers, desig-
ners and the business community are
all able to test and realize their dreams
according to their own requirements.
The full-scale laboratory is also what
distinguishes and makes Smart Textiles
unique in an international perspective: it
provides the opportunity to take an idea
all the way from vision to reality. Mem-
bers of the business community come
here if they dont know how to realize
their product ideas, if they lack the ne-
cessary equipment, or if they want to
perform tests without interrupting re-
gular production. The most exciting pro-
jects are selected and realized with the
aim to create marketable innovations.
Here, the experimental research condu-
cted within Smart Textiles is also tested
and students from The Swedish School
of Textiles are given relevant and advan-
ced training that will prove to be very
important to their future professional
careers. The technical staff possesses
absolute top competence and together,
the fourteen staff members represent
a total of 351 years experience in the
textile trade. A world-class offer, indeed.
PHOTO: Ida Lindstrm.
32
THE WEAVING LAB
In this lab, new construction ideas
are tested using both computer gui-
ded and manual looms, but also in the
many types of weaving machines in
our machine park. Several construc-
tion and pattern-making possibilities
are available, such as mechanical
and electronic Jacquard and dob-
by machines. It is possible to make
anything from terrycloth and carpets
to technical textiles and our skilled
technicians will guide you in choice
of materials and construction techni-
ques. The lab gives you the opportuni-
ty to weave in almost any yarn on the
market, from cotton to optical fibers.
Examples of developed
materials and applications
Medical applications made in heavy
materials, materials that glow in the
dark. Phase-Change Materials (PCM).
THE KNITTING LAB
This is the place for developing elas-
tic materials on both circular knitting
machines and flat knitting machines.
Owing to our dedicated technicians,
there is no need to be an expert in
tricot to be able to realize your ideas.
Fabrics are made in circular knitting
machines and in the Knitting Lab, you
are able to make double/interlock
jersey with large and small patterns
and also rib, plush and single jersey of
varying thickness. There is also the
option to work in stiff materials, such
as metals, in a special machine of
which there are only five in the world.
The Weaving Lab also has hand knit-
ting machines for flat knitting, al-
lowing you to test different construc-
tions. Fully fashioned prototypes of
sweaters, gloves, blood vessels and
other items are made in flat knitting
machines. The construction is first
designed in a computer program and
then transferred to the machine,
which is able to knit three-dimensi-
onal shapes in both stiff and elastic
yarns.
Examples of developed
materials and applications
Synthetic blood vessels, metal cloth-
ing, technical materials used in
medical measurement
devices.
 THE FINISHING LAB
If you are looking to develop pro-
ducts and ideas within textile che-
mistry, the Finishing Lab presents
you with unique opportunities.
Among other things, you will be able
to perform pilot studies in a 25-55
cm wide stenter with two heaters,
which is adapted to industrial pro-
duction. The stenter is equipped to
be able to coat materials using
different techniques such as knife-
coating with paste or foam. It is
possible to print a single-color pat-
tern through rotary screen printing.
The stenter is also equipped with a
padder, which means impregnation
of textiles. There is also a dyeing
machine for dyeing, pre-treatment
and finishing of fabrics and garments
of smaller sizes and in the small dy-
eing machines in our lab it is possible
to do the same treatments for tex-
tiles up to ten grams. There is also
the option of impregnating small
material samples in a padder and fix
them in the stenter. Skilled and en-
gaged technicians will help you find
solutions and handle the machines.
Examples of developed
materials and applications
Materials that change colors and
patterns at different temperatures
and lighting conditions.
THE PRINTING LAB
In this lab, developing a print is
done either by screen printing,
transfer printing or digital printing.
Digital printers use reactive inks for
prints on cellulose-based fibers and
on silk and wool. Transfer prints
are made by printing the pattern
in a printer using sublimation inks.
The color is then transferred using
a heat press. In screen printing, a
screen is made from a sketch. Long
printing tables enable flat bed prin-
ting of textiles up to ten meters in
length. There are a number of dif-
ferent printing techniques available
such as devore, resist and dischar-
ge. If you are looking to develop
pleated materials, there is a plea-
ting cabinet that can be heated to
140C. After printing you will able
to fix the prints in a large oven whe-
re materials can either be hung on a
rack or fixed in a steam tube dryer.
Examples of developed
materials and applications
Materials that change colors and
patterns at different temperatures.
THE SEWING LAB
The Sewing Lab is a sewing factory
in miniature. It has machines for
all kinds of seams and materials
such as knitted, woven, leather,
fur, underwear, swimwear. There
are also ultrasonic welders, taping
machines and sewing machines for
double lock-stitch, overlock, over-
edge stitch, covering chain-stitch,
buttonholes, lap-seam, flat-seam
and safety stitch. The latest ac-
quisition is an ultra-sonic welder,
which joins materials by melting
the different layers of materials
using ultrasound, i.e. not by needle
and thread. This causes the weld
to become completely water-proof
and so smooth it does not irritate
the skin. Technicians with back-
grounds in production instruct and
offer smart solutions.
Examples of developed
materials and applications
Custom production of various ma-
terials for the health care sector
and the world of sports.
33
 PROTOTYPE FACTORY 4 OUT OF 86 PROJECTS

THE T-SHIRT SENSES YOUR MOTIONS The sensor t-shirts have been developed as
medical aids, primarily to be used for diagnosing neurological disorders such as epilepsy
or Parkinsons disease. The motion sensing system, which has been developed by Acreo
Sensor Systems, registers the wearers motions and the information helps the doctor
decide on the correct treatment of the patient. Photo: Henrik Bengtsson.

WATER-PROOF AND HARMLESS? In order to make clothing water-repellent, producers

today often use environmentally harmful fluorocarbons as components in the finishing. In order
to avoid using substances that are harmful to the environment, Smart Textiles and the company
OrganoClick, which has an environmentally friendly profile, and the retailers Klttermusen, Haglfs,
Houdini, Norrna and Bergans develop alternative treatments. By collaborating with suppliers,
other members of the industry and Swerea IVF, the project will create alternatives that are both
competitive and meet high demands on function, safety and environmental friendliness.

JACKET THAT CHANGES COLORS The jacket is designed by Jesper Danielsson

and made in a Gore Tex material coated with a mix of thermochromic (heat sensitive)
and fluorescent pigments. At temperatures above 27C, the fabric changes color. In
addition, the jacket is not been sewn but welded together with an ultrasonic welder.
PHOTO: Hkan Lindgren.

34

PROJECT 1609
by Textile Design student
Linnea Nilsson. A lamp consisting
of 1609 knitted metal fingers,
shaped and sewn together
by hand.
THIS IS WHAT TWO OF OUR BUSINESS PARTNERS THINK
To us, it is
important that we can have
access to equipment for test runs
with short notice. It helps our product
development. Only a couple of weeks ago,
we made use of the facilities at Prototype
Factory to develop a material using a
technology that was entirely new to us.
Patrik Johansson
CEO Engtex AB
Smart Textiles Prototype Factory
is an amazing opportunity for a company
such as ours because we have in-depth expertise
in green fiber chemistry, but limited access to the
kind of production equipment used in the textile
industry. We have made use of the pilot stenter on
several occasions in order to adapt and evaluate
chemistry we have developed for the processes
used by textile industries.
Robin Grankvist
BUSINESS DEVELOPER
ORGANOCLICK AB
two quick questions to
the experts at Prototype Factory
1. How long have you been working with textiles?
2. What does Prototype Factory and contact with the
business community mean to you?
The Knitting Lab
Lars Brandin 36 years
Continued development of skills and experience in using and
experimenting with new materials.
Kristian Rdby 29 years
Every project is exciting and challenging.
Tommy Martinsson 44 years
He who will not try, will never know.
A total of 109 years experience
The Weaving Lab
Roger Hgberg 41 years
Fredrik Wennersten 24 years
We have woven in materials not even the manufacturer of the
machine had thought of or would think possible to weave in.
Hanna Lindholm 10 years
A chance to test new materials such as fiber optics, glass
fibers and composites and an opportunity to gain insight into
research areas I didnt even know existed.
A total of 75 years experience
The Finishing Lab
Catrin Tammjrv 20 years
Maria Bjrklund 12 years
A chance to stay updated through contacts with people
outside academia.
A total of 32 years experience
The Printing Lab
Maria Stawsen 32 years
Sometimes things do not turn out quite as one expected them
to; they become even better.
Sara Wikman 12 years
Emilia Jensen 9 years
Helena Engars 13 years
A total of 66 years experience
The Sewing Lab
Elsa Lindahl 43 years
Jasna Caktas 26 years
Fun, exciting and inspiring as it is not all about clothes
but also about techniques and quality.
A total of 69 years experience
35
36
 THE RELUCTANT
BORSER
TEXT: ELOF IVARSSON. PORTRAITIST: IDA LINDSTRM. PHOTO: MATTON.

Im here because of my bad karma, she laughs. Ive had to take many tough decisions about lay-offs and
other things over the years. Smart Textiles is good for my karma because we create jobs.

Her marriage ceremony was an African ritual performed
on a beach in Zanzibar, she prefers costume balls and loves
Latin American music with an intensity that has her con-
vinced that she was a calypso musician in an earlier life.
One may begin suspect that we are dealing with a hippie.
A free spirit who lets matters rest. Someone with a bit of a
maana mentality. Nothing could be further from the truth.
She is ten minutes early for the interview at the caf in
central Gothenburg. She returns my greeting, orders bre-
akfast and sits down. We start the interview on time. Ex-
actly.
Susanne Nejders is a doer. She makes things happen. And
just because you know that visions and grand ideas are ne-
cessary does not mean you have to love them. Most often
she is irritated with, even allergic to people who do nothing
but talk. Her mind goes straight to how the fancy words
the piece of paper can be turned into reality. Funnel down,
concretize and realize that is Susanne in a nutshell. A
mentality that has helped Smart Textiles realize more than
a hundred projects and gain a lot of respect from the bu-
siness community. Her colleague Erik Bresky, on the other
hand, is fond of visions. He has nicknamed her the Funnel
because she always asks the same question: how do we
funnel this down to something realizable? One can almost
hear the echoes of lively discussions where two essenti-
ally different personalities meet, both going for the same
objective but with somewhat differing points of departure.
After all she has done in her life, her practical view on what
is important may not be all that surprising. Most of her pro-
fessional life has been spent working for a textile business
supplying the automotive industry.
Working in the automotive business is an extremely good
learning experience. Prices are under a tremendous press-
ure and the demands on design, quality and delivery relia-
bility are very high, says Susanne Nejders.

37
 We created fantastic interior design solutions that were to
be sold to the departments at the automotive corporation,
without any form of remuneration. After that, they held
Internet auctions that we had to win in order to be granted
the benefit of supplying the company a product we had de-
signed ourselves. That forced prices down to incredibly low
levels while maintaining all of the tough requirements on
the suppliers. In that kind of world, you either give up or roll
up your sleeves and make sure everything works out. Thats
the kind of thing that gets me involved.
She is not exactly lacking in enthusiasm. Just over twenty
years ago Susanne moved from Vellinge in Skne to Bors
to study for a Textile Engineering degree. She was going to
stay for two years, maybe three. Despite several attempts
at moving, she is still here.
But Im not done with Skne yet! I miss the sea, she says
in that charming Southern Swedish dialect. At the same
time, we like it here and we have good friends and an active
life, so its my own inner struggle, haha.
It is not because of a shortage of opportunities to leave
Sjuhrad behind that she is still here, though. During her
time at Borgstena Textile, she was stationed in Germany for
a time and later she spent a year building a new department
at the companys factory in Portugal. Once she was on the
verge of moving to Brasil. However, it seems Bors has
always found a way to make her come back. Nevertheless,
she will always have her experiences from her time abroad.
The contrasts! It was a complete clich. In Germany
everything was extremely rigid: if I needed help from the
IT department you had to be there exactly on time, other-
wise the door would be closed. And then, all I could do was
wait even though it was an entire weekend in between. In
Portugal, on the other hand, complete chaos and cigarette
breaks were never far away.
Culture shocks occurred on a daily basis. I learned that one
must approach different people in different ways. However,
if one only finds a way to communicate, many problems will
be solved. One has to focus on the results and stay flexible.
Smart Textiles is largely about having people with widely
varying perspectives get along: the time frame of the re-
gion may span half a century, when a business executive
worries about the next quarterly report. On the whole, dea-
38
ling with this kind of problems is interesting and the atmo-
sphere is positive. Regarding her role at Smart Textiles and
Business Innovation, she enjoys participating in an effort to
strengthen the textile industry in Sweden and create new
jobs. That was not always the case.
There were people who made jokes about me sweeping
employees out of the workplace until it was empty. Not all
that fun. At times Ive had to take tough decisions, deci-
sions on lay-offs and outsourcing of textile production, why
it is wonderful to contribute to a development thats purely
positive. What I do here is both enjoyable and inspiring.
It seems to Susanne that many companies have learned
that outsourcing textile production to other countries in-
volves so many problems that it may be easier to consider
domestic solutions today. It is a lot easier to control quality,
delivery reliability, communication and a number of other
success factors if one can be on site on a regular basis and is
familiar with the conditions, as one is on ones home ground.
So, how come she decided to work for the University? A
world in which the rules are entirely different to the ones
she is used to. It was not a matter of course; Susanne may
just as well have been living in Smland today. When the
new factory in Portugal burned to the ground and brand
new machines were purchased, it was the final nail in the
coffin for the Swedish factory. The entire production line
was moved and most of the staff was laid off. Susannes
position as CEO of Borgstena Textile Sweden ended shortly
after that. She tried another position for a year, but then
two interesting openings presented themselves.
She could have moved to lmhult and taken up a position as
range manager for textiles at IKEA. A business area with an
annual turnover of about 20 billion SEK.
Working in the automotive business was
an extremely good learning experience.
Prices are under a tremendous pressure
and demands on design, quality and the
delivery reliability are very high.
A decent job. But then, there was the house she and her fa- contacted us because of our many years of hard work in
mily had just moved in to. Susanne had passed by the white, reaching the market.
wooden 1920s house by the lake resj almost every day
for several years. Although it looked a little like a summer In 2016, it is ten years since she and her husband stood
house, she was unable to let it go and one day she turned with their feet in the sand on Zanzibar and they plan to take
off the road and drove up to it. When she stepped out of both daughters there to relive the magic. Otherwise, she
the car, the smell of water reminded her of the sea breeze can be found at Smart Textiles where she practically and
from resund. She had come home. Since then, the house is methodically funnels down fancy words to successful re-
renovated and added to with the same focus on results she alizations and bridges the gap between academia and the
displays at work. business community. If shes not busy renovating her house
on the shores of resj. Or dancing calypso at
And then there was this other job offer. About the same a costume ball.
time as Joachim Lindqvist at IKEA contacted Susanne in
2009, she found out that Smart Textiles was looking to hire
someone with a background in the business community.
She knew all about Smart Textiles and she had even been
a member of the Smart Textiles Steering Group for several
years. This was something she wanted to do.
I knew this would be an exciting position and I wanted
to contribute to new products reaching the market becau-
se it would create jobs when Swedish businesses grew and
prospered, Susanne says. I chose to jump on board and in
the end I was the one who recruited Joachim from IKEA
instead of the other way around. Today, he is a valuable
member of the Smart Textiles Steering Group.

Joining Smart Textiles is a choice she has never had to re-

gret. There is no telling what exciting projects or people she
may encounter tomorrow. Every day has the potential to
lead to something unexpected. The ideas and people cros-
sing her doorstep are so different from one another that she
is always enjoying herself and every day is a new challenge.
So much has happened since I began my studies in 1992.
Today, we have extensive research and an amazing dialog
with an enthusiastic business community, she says. In that
respect, were lucky. On the other hand, luck is earned.

She thinks specifically of the person who thought they were

lucky to be given an opportunity to work with an idea for a
pajamas for children with a bed-wetting problem. Its in the
market today and has attracted a lot of positive attention.
To Susanne, that has nothing to with fate.
A positive attitude creates positive energy and that will
make good things happen, she says. It may be perceived
as luck, but the young men with the idea for the pajama

39
 Quality of life
in a dress
One hour every day, while you are at home doing
whatever you feel like. Elektrodress enhances the
quality of life for many who suffer from neurological
disorders. Although it is well-known that electricity can
help stimulate muscular activity, the treatment is difficult
to perform and demands regular visits to the hospital.
Elektrodress consists of a pair of pants and a shirt and
thus reaches the whole body, with no loose cords. The
patient will in most cases experience a relaxing effect
almost immediately an effect that normally lasts for
at least one and up to three days. The garments have
been developed in collaboration with Smart Textiles.

www.elektrodress.se

PHOTO: Henrik Bengtsson.

40
The feeling not having
to be embarrassed
The outward appearance of Pjama is that of a pair of
ordinary pajama pants. However, a child suffering from
bed-wetting may see in them the difference between
going to e.g. soccer camp or a sleep-over at a friends
house, or not. The pants absorbs and keep moisture
in, leaving no stains.

The alternative for bed-wetting children are diapers,

protective sheets or medicines with the risk of
secondary effects. With Pjama, children need not
worry. Smart Textiles has participated in the
entire development process.
PHOTO: Henrik Bengtsson.

www.pjama.se

Woven electrodes
protect preterm babies
Who does not secretly harbor a wish to achieve some-
thing that really matters? Such as protecting the delicate
head of a baby from treatment injuries. Smart Textiles
doctoral student Siw Eriksson researches a cap with built-
in gauging functions that will protect preterm babies from
pressure injuries to the head, which is a common effect of
the time-consuming EEG recordings performed today.

The prototype is woven in electrodes and conductive

silver yarns using an advanced process and a 3D-loom
which has been developed especially for this purpose by
Smart Textiles. Everything has been carefully calculated
in order for the electrodes to find the correct locations
on the babys head.
PHOTO: Henrik Bengtsson.

41
 Cloned frogs
on Gala-dress
The wedding gift for Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel
from Bors Stad was a fantastic sculpture by William Sweetlove.
What better gift from the proud textile city than a gigantic red
dress with frogs strewn all over it? The fact that the sculpture
came with the condition that it is to remain in Bors is a stroke
of genius for the people of the city. The happy couple has a
miniature of the sculpture to keep on their night table.
PHOTO: gkm.

42
Lady Gaga
in ironic furs
When Lady Gaga visited Stockholm in August 2012,
she appeared in an outfit designed by Daniel Bendzovski,
student in Fashion Design at The Swedish School of
Textiles.

Daniels degree collection was exhibited as part of

the EXIT show of The Swedish School of Textiles at the
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Stockholm and is ironic
towards trends in general and the use of furs in particular.

Through his collection, Daniel wants to question the

current fur trend and raise awareness of the problems
related to consumption.

Here, Lady Gaga is seen leaving her hotel wearing the outfit
made by Daniel Bendzovski. Photo: ISOIMAGES.

modeink
Modeinkubatorn was created in 2006 within the frame-
work of Smart Textiles and has since developed into a
unique institution in Sweden. Then and now, the goal is
to create opportunities for entrepreneurs in textiles and
fashion to enter the market. New and established micro-
enterprises and small businesses from all over the nation
is supported in their efforts to develop concepts, business
ideas and operations. In a dynamic process, the businesses
receive active and customized production support, mana-
gement support, commercial networks and a creative
growth environment complete with office support,
studios and machinery.

www.modeink.se

43
 Recurring Patterns. RESEARCHERS: Linna Nilsson, Mika Satomi, Anna Vallgrda, and Linda Worbin. PHOTO: Jan Berg.

44
45
46
 THE IMPOSSIBLE
IS ONLY A CHALLENGE
TEXT: ELOF IVARSSON. PHOTO: Fredrik Blomqvist, Kristoffer Stenfeldt och Virgin galactic.

I want to be the first! Mons Huygens is 5,500 meters high and the tallest mountain on the Moon. It is only a
matter of time until someone climbs it and puts up a flag on the summit, says Renata Chlumska. It would be
marvelous if I was that someone.

She fixes me with an intensive stare and I squirm, mum-
bling something about nonsense. Climbing mountains on
the Moon? Even NASA has not managed more than a few
steps. Is she serious? However, Renata Chlumska is not
one to think in negative terms. What you and I would dis-
miss as impossible is only a challenge, nothing more.
Impossible? Thats what they said about Mount Everest,
until sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay climbed it,
she says. When everyone thinks something is impossible,
it provokes people like me and perhaps thats a good thing:
how far would mankind have come without us?
With self-assurance and a disarming charm she describes
her previous expeditions without being theatrical or re-
sorting to exaggerations. Renata gives me the impression
she is a very relaxed person. She has just held a lecture
in front of 200 people. Dressed in a blouse, cardigan and
scarf, she doesnt look like someone who has the need to
prove how tough she is.
Sometimes older men come up to me, feel my biceps and
tell me they are too small, she laughs. When they say they
cant understand how I managed to climb Mount Everest,
I tell them the most important muscle is the brain.
No, Renata does not seem to have time to be distracted
from doing the things she finds important. Such as the fact
that the commercialization of space flights is the beginning
of something new and that the next step will come quick-
ly. She argues that a hundred years ago, no one imagined
Swedish people would go to Thailand on vacation. Flying
was new, expensive and only available to a select crowd.
Today, practically everyone has been there. In the same
way, space tourism will make the Moon a more accessible
destination. There will be no lack of interest.
Imagine seeing the world from the outside, Renata
Chlumska muses. Im convinced that view will change
people forever, seeing the fragile atmosphere of the earth
and realizing how small we really are compared to the
Universe. Amazing.

47
 Renata is looking to make the most of
this experience. She studies flight theory,
puts herself through g-force testing, runs
flight simulations and does lots of other
training together with e.g. Qinetiq
in Linkping.

Space: the final frontier was the fateful phrase introdu-

cing each episode of the tv-series Star Trek: The Next Ge-
neration. To Renata, it has always been important to push
back the borders for what she can and will do and space is
the ultimate frontier. When she looks back at everything
she has accomplished as an adventurer, this step is com-
pletely logical.
Physically, Ive nothing left to prove to myself. This is
more of a mental challenge, she says. Theres so much to
learn and Im 100% motivated.

It is plain that Renata is looking to make the most of this

experience. She studies flight theory, puts herself through
g-force testing, runs flight simulations and does lots of
other training together with e.g. Qinetiq in Linkping. In
connection with the preparations, she has discovered a
new demand.
Im used to testing outdoor equipment in extreme con-
ditions and harsh climates, but when I decided to go into
space I noticed the clothes I have dont have what it takes.
The market segment doesnt even exist and had to be in-
vented, why I turned to Smart Textiles.

48
Clothes will have to be developed that are able to withstand
various forms of stress during the training and the space
flight. It is equally important for the design of the clothes
she wears to lectures and appearances in the media to sig-
nal space flight. The challenge lies in finding new ways of
achieving what governments have spent billions to do and
to do so in a way that is environmentally sustainable.
It was important for me to find a partner with the right
competence and solid experience of advanced and com-
plex projects. In my wildest dreams I couldnt have ima-
ged that Smart Textiles really would have all it takes and
that it was so close to me. Its perfect!
However, does she not find it stressing to have to rely on
other peoples skills, which is an inevitable consequence of
a space flight? Well, Renata says she has complete confi-
dence in all the partners she works with and the concern
for safety is very high, why there is nothing to worry about.
However, a slight frustration will at times brush the surfa-
ce at the mention of the fact that Virgin has postponed the
departure date several times. The final departure date has
not been set yet, but with her usual enthusiasm she says it
gives her time to become even better prepared. Her mental
strength is indeed monumental.
Renata says Mount Everest changed her as a person. In
1999, she stood at the summit as the first Swedish woman
ever to look out from the roof of the world. The moment
she came down from the summit it all felt unreal. She was
exhausted but filled with happiness and pride. She had
reached the grand objective. Now, there were no limits to
what she could achieve. She is more than willing to share
that feeling with others.
She says successful adventurers are not body-builders
but people who have an indomitable will. When about
to step out of a tent into hard winds and -45C at Mount
Everest, looking like a young Arnold Schwarzenegger will
not help you in any way. Because then, attitude is every-
thing that counts. In Renatas opinion, it is possible to
transfer that mentality to ones working life, studies and
most other parts of life.
During our lifetimes, we all have our Mount Everests to
climb and the experiences I have brought down from mine
may be able to help others, Renata says. You can practice
never giving up. If you didnt learn it as a child, its not too
late to do so later in life. Its about learning to like detours
in life, taking short steps when the road climbs steeper
but never give up!
She learned much of this from her parents, who loved out-
door life and traveled Europe by car in the summers. They
slept in a tent and did not care overly much for comfort: if
a problem occurred, they solved it with a positive attitude.
After all, it was nothing compared to the hardships they
had endured in Czechoslovakia. Renata remembers how
her parents always believed in her and how they encoura-
ged her all the time, regardless of if it concerned sports,
school or something else. That attitude gifted her with high
self-esteem and a strong drive in life. Her parents probably
could not have guessed that their view on life, via the high-
est mountain on Earth, would one day take their daughter
into space. And who knows, perhaps one day all the way to
Mons Huygens, the highest mountain on the Moon?
VIRGIN GALACTIC SPACESHIP TWO
The spaceship is constructed in a carbon fiber composi-
te and carries six passengers and two pilots. The ship is
18.3 meters in length and its measurements roughly cor-
responds to a Falcon 900 Executive jet plane, although
the cockpit has no floor in order to allow the astronauts
maximum freedom of movement during weightlessness in
space. All passengers have two windows, one on the side
and one above their seats, to allow them the best possible
view. Renata hopes to launch from Spaceport Sweden
in Kiruna, which is a partner of Virgin Galactic and on its
way to becoming Europes first commercial space port.
She has ticket number 192 and although Virgin Galactic
has not set an exact date for when they will take her into
space, it is likely to be in 2014.
49
 SMART
TEXTILES
DESIGN
LAB

Chair of Paradise:
A second-hand chair that has been
modified to imitate the bird of paradise.
The technology the chair has been equipped
with allows it to go through the same color
changes and emit the same sounds the bird
does when it tries to attract a potential
partner. This function is triggered when-
ever someone comes close to the chair.
RESEARCHER: Mika Satomi.
PHOTO: Hkan Lindgren.

50
Smart Textiles
Design Lab turns textile
traditions and concepts
upside down through
experimental research on
new, expressive materials
and construction methods.

Design Lab also works to redefine textile design and the

design role in itself by opening up for new design variables
and new dimensions of expressions.

Research tries to emphasize and critically review visions

of where we are going, the way in which the new textiles
and textile expressions are to change our way of working
and living.

Design Lab explores currently available technology and

also asks for new technology. As a driving force, design
provides direction and meaning to technological deve-
lopment. Technology as a driving force also provides the
technical prerequisites and possibilities for development
in design. This mutual relationship between technology
and design is also foundamental to the collaboration
between Smart Textiles Design Lab and Smart Textiles
Technology Lab.
DARK FUTURE FOR TOUR ROADIES?
Clothes that can play music is no longer a vision of the future. They
exist and were created for the exhibition Power of Fashion 300
years of clothing at Nordiska Museet, where Smart Textiles was
invited to display the textiles of the future. The costume is made in
a material with integrated sensors that react to touch.
It sound like a harp and our next step is finding a more precise way of
controlling the music, says design student Jeannine Han, who started
the project. PHOTO: Daniel Riley.

MISSING CALLS WHEN KEEPING THE CELL IS IN YOUR BAG?

No longer a problem with Fabrication bag. The printed dots change
color when the cellphone rings. Hanna Landin and Linda Worbins pro-
ject from 2006 was created before Smart Textiles Design Lab existed.
Photo: Jan Berg.

51
 DESIGN LAB

Designing with heat: Designing with Heat is a collection of

three knitted, interactive textile constructions that were developed
to explore the possibility to shape materials with heat. By adding
electricity through conductive yarns integrated in the knitted
construction, the materials change by breaking down or shrinking.
RESEARCHERS: Delia Dumitrescu och Anna Persson.

PHOTO: Henrik Bengtsson.

52
TEXTILE RESISTANCE: This project is a collaboration
with Syntjuntan and examines how textiles in conductive
materials can be used as musical instruments.
RESEARCHERS: Mika Satomi, Linda Worbin, Barbro Scholz.
TAPESTRY: Tapestry is a project that examines how the expressions
of different interactive textiles affect the room. Also, programmed
motors have been connected to the textiles to add another dimension
of change to the expression. RESEARCHERS: Delia Dumitrescu , Hanna Landin,
Anna Persson, Anna Vallgrda.
rythm exercise_ 13in1 is a braided object based on thirteen
optical fibers which are illuminated by LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes).
The object is programmed to create a light in motion and provide a 3D
feeling. RESEARCHER: Barbara Jansen.
PHOTO: Henrik Bengtsson.
53
 Digital Translations: Form Active Translation
Textiles, 2012. Felecia Davis from the American univer-
sity MIT held a workshop that focused on translating textile
structures through digital tools. ORGANIZED BY: Delia Dumitrescu.
Thermal Printing workshop, Aalto University,
Finland, 2013. Marjan Kooroshnia and Linda Worbin held a work-
shop at the ArcInTex network meeting. Participants worked with
screen printing with thermochromic prints to design dynamic
patterns with both integrated and external heating elements.

Existential design: In the fall of 2011, doctoral student Anne

Britt Torkildsby was on tour with her workshop at design schools in
among other places Ume, Oslo and Copenhagen. Her design method
makes students see the design process from an existential
perspective.

54
DESIGN LAB

Animated Textiles Workshop,The Swedish School

of Textiles, 2012. Manuel Kretzer held a workshop that examined
how to combine soft, electroactive polymers with textiles to create
moving surfaces or structures. ORGANIZED BY: Delia Dumitrescu.

55
 MISSION
POSSIBLE
TEXT: ELOF IVARSSON. PORTRAITIST: IDA LINDSTRM. Photo: Rostislav Glinsky.

People in the village wagered on how long would last in the business. I was 25 years old and newly
appointed CEO of Bolanders in Gllstad, Erik Bresky says with a smile.

His hair has clearly fended off all attempts at styling and
he sits reminiscing over a cup of black coffee. The year was
1992 and Erik was an outsider, an academic and a young-
ster. No wonder they were all so skeptical. As he did not have
any connection to the long tradition of family businesses
that dominates the area, it was difficult to understand the
special kind of atmosphere in Gllstad at times. People
were happy to lend him a ball of yarn, but they were just
as happy to spy on their competitors to find out which pat-
terns they worked with. Although it was a tough time, Erik
managed to gain respect through hard work and a humble
attitude. It was in Gllstad he discovered the importance of
cultivating relationships.
Id invited Martin Gthager over to the factory; hed own- use a computer to choose the design of the garment and in
ed Ivanhoe since its foundation in 1946 and had spent his
entire life a stones throw away from our factory. When he
crossed the threshold, he hesitated and then told me it was
the first time hed ever been to Bolanders, says Erik Bresky.
I couldnt believe my ears and that was when I understood
there was much to be done on the networking front.
It is obvious that cultivating relationships is as natural to
Erik as breathing. He is used to having one foot in each camp
and has the special kind of charm needed to fit in. Being in-
terviewed is no bother when one has much to talk about.
Such as what he felt when Bolanders moved to Ulricehamn.
In the middle of the 1990s, many believed the textile in-
dustry in Gllstad was on its way to extinction, much like
a dinosaur unable to keep up with a changing world. Since
then, the area has reinvented itself by nurturing its text-
ile heritage and successfully adapting it to the demands of
today. That attitudes are different today is symptomatic of
that change. Martin Gthagers son Gran maintains close
relations with Erik, among other things in order to stay up-
dated on the latest in textile research. Today, Ivanhoe is
developing Knit on demand, a shop where customers can
45 minutes, the machine delivers a product knitted to the
customers specifications. Twenty years ago, no one would
have believed it was possible.
Erik finds his experiences to be important. Trust and re-
lationships are the keys to creating innovation systems.
This was very useful when he after ten years in the indu-
stry wanted to do more in life and found his way back to
The Swedish School of Textiles. As the Head of School,

56
57
 he was involved in the founding of Smart Textiles. However,
in the beginning he was once again faced with the skepti-
cism of the industry.
People laughed when we said that Smart Textiles would
become a leading international player. A few years later,
the same business representatives came back to ask per-
mission to put our logo on their presentations. Our name
had already begun opening doors abroad.
Eriks role is to create understanding between the different
parts of Smart Textiles the University, the business com-
munity and the region which is not always an easy task.
Their perspectives differ so widely that they sometimes
have great difficulties understanding one another and Erik
Bresky is the person who has to take care of and relieve all
that frustration. It is worth it, though.
I am driven by my desire to contribute to a better and
sustainable world with different consumption patterns,
Erik says. Less of a throwaway mentality, where new ma-
terials and how they are used drive development.
Ambitious plans require an ability to take action that will help
achieve the goals. By relocating to the Textile Fashion Center
in what used to be the industrial park Simonsland in Bors,
I love outdoor living and nature experiences. Exercise isnt some-
thing one struggles to find energy for, its something one does to find
energy to take on the struggles of life. And to take ones mind off
work for a while.
Smart Textiles has come a long way towards securing that
exciting future. 60,000 square meters of space that will be
rented by e.g. The Swedish School of Textiles, the Munici-
pality of Bors and several other organizations such as the
Museum of Textile History, Marketplace Bors, Proteko, the
Inkubator in Bors, Drivhuset and the textile educations at
Almsgymnasiet and the Higher Vocational Education (Yr-
keshgskolan). It is an impressive mobilization of the enti-
re region for the textile cluster and an astonishing develop-
ment for a city of entrepreneurs that was earlier known to
have little but disdain for academic educations. The future
is full of synergies and thrilling collaborations.
Its a unique venture. We are already at the front lines
internationally and now we will have full-scale environ-
ments where we can do everything we have only talked
58
about before. Then, there will be more than just fancy
words, says Erik Bresky. Our goal is to have people with
ideas related to textiles come to us as a natural part of
their development processes. To be the place where it all
happens, where people meet across boundaries and where
unexpected results occur.
Building the Textile Fashion Center is important not only to
Bors but to the entire region, in Eriks opinion. As little as
five-six years ago, no one took pride in our textile heritage.
Today, the situation is quite different and the older gene-
ration is the only people who still think the 1970s saw the
end of the textile industry in Sweden. To young people, fa-
shion is a business of the future and The Swedish School of
Textiles has always had a large number of applicants to its
educations. The problem used to be the people in charge,
who belong to the older generation, why the launching of
this venture is extra positive.
The future of textiles holds so much more than just pat-
terned fabrics. Erik thinks that when we look back at
textile history in 2050, the crisis of the 1970s will be viewed
as a parenthesis and our times as a turning point. The
textile industry is about to take a giant step from being a
supplier of fabrics to become a positive force in the dev-
elopment of society by contributing to innovations for sus-
tainable solutions that will improve peoples everyday lives
and the health care sector. In short, supplying smart ma-
terials. This far into the interview Erik has really picked
up steam and leans over the table to put weight behind
his words.
Textile construction materials is the future. Earlier, the
forest and mining industries used to be our basic industries
and they inspired innovations such as ball bearings, which
formed the foundation of Sweden as an industrial nation,
Erik says. Today, we see that nanotechnology, chemistry,
polymer materials and also the forest industry will, through
textile processes, create new innovations that will be just
as important as bearings.
Erik thinks that in the future it will be even more impor-
tant for smaller towns in Sweden to have clear profiles. If
Bors is to be the center of an expanding region in 40-50
years time, the textile cluster has to continue to be the
motor of that development.
As Erik is a Borser with an interest in sports, he jumps at
the opportunity to take the local soccer team, Elfsborg, as
an example and he says the strong sides of Bors can be
traced in the successes of the club. Entrepreneurship,
visions, good organization and skilled businessmen who
keep their heads cool and separate sports from busi-
ness that is the formula for success. If Elfsborg were
to snatch the championship title of the Swedish First
Division from under the noses of the big city clubs, the
very same spirit may take the city of Bors to the next level.
Its all about creating win-win situations in the future and
at the same time make Bors important enough to maintain
its role as a natural part of Metropolitan Gothenburg, Erik
says. The financial future of Sweden lies in the three met-
ropolitan areas and we can either become the first small
town east of Metropolitan Gothenburg or we can step up
and leave that title to Ulricehamn. To ensure that we are
included in that development, our offer needs to be a strong
one. The answer to that is the textile industry.
However, financial development is not the only topic that
drives Erik Bresky. Other cultures is one of his passions.
In his opinion, the best education in life is spending ones
twenties backpacking around the world. Apart from me-
mories for life from Australia, Thailand, Burma, Tibet and
Nepal, these places gave him his first contact with Eva, who
is the mother of his two daughters. Later, he has conducted
studies on the textile industries of Africa and Asia on behalf
of The Swedish School of Textiles in places such as Ethio-
pia, Laos, Uganda and Vietnam and he thinks there is much
for us to learn there.
The challenge for Westerners is to understand that were
not at the forefront in every field and to be more open for
innovations from other parts of the world, says Erik. Our
colonial heritage is problematic. We always think we know
best, but in order to come to terms with the danger to the
environment and hysterical consumerism, I think respect
and humility are the best guiding principles for contacts
with other cultures.
That the environment is important to him is natural consi-
dering he is passionate about outdoor living and nature
experiences. The family enjoys kayaking and spends their
summers going back and forth between Lerkil on the West
coast and the St. Anna Archipelago in the Baltic Sea. In the
winter, he likes to participate in Vasaloppet. Exercise isnt
something one struggles to find energy for, its something
one does to find energy to take on the struggles of life. And
to take ones mind off work for a while.
The interview has come to an end and Erik has to run to
his next appointment. He is going to have lunch with Gran
Gthager, who has come to Bors from the Ivanhoe office
in Gllstad. They will perhaps discuss some problem or just
chat to stay in touch. This symbolizes what may possibly be
the most important change in and around the textile city of
Bors recently.
59
 PHOTO: Jan Berg.

60
Smart
Textiles
showroom
You put your hand on the fabric and when you re-
move it, the gray area underneath it has suddenly
become turquoise.

Textiles can be many things and they are not always what
you expect. Materials inspire and often lead the way to new
ideas. That is why it is important for both researchers and
companies to have access to materials from the front end
of development.

In the textile material library, businesses, product de-

velopers, designers and, last but not least, students and
researchers are able to meet across boundaries. A natural
resource and sounding board for product development
issues, from ideas to products.

Here, one can find materials, prototypes and also some of

the products that have been developed through a Smart
Textiles Company Driven Project or at the Smart Textiles
Prototype Factory. There are also samples of materials
made in the machines at The Swedish School of Textiles
and other interesting materials purchased from external
manufacturers.
An example of the textile materials of the future: a pouffe that
has a colorful pattern that gradually becomes visible when some-
one sits on it and becomes invisible when it is no longer used.
A prototype developed by Smart Textiles Design Lab and the
furniture company IRE. PHOTO: Jan Berg.

Designing with Heat is a collection of three knitted, interactive

textile constructions that have been designed to explore the
possibility to shape materials with heat. PHOTO: Henrik Bengtsson.

61
 HIDDEN SMART TEXTILES
ON THE CATWALK

PHOTO: Kristian Lveborg.

62
Designer Nhu Duong ever strives to explore
new materials. Together with Smart Textiles,
she developed trailblazing creations for the
catwalk at Stockholm Fashion Week 2012.

Ever since Nhu Duong visited The Swedish School of Textiles

a few years ago where she was overwhelmed by the
multitude of opportunities offered by the machine park
the University has remained in the back of her mind. In the
spring of 2012, she contacted the Smart Textiles Prototype
Factory concerning one of her ideas.

I wanted to develop a composite material containing me-

tal for my collection. The Swedish School of Textiles is in
possession of one of only five knitting machines in the world
capable of knitting in metal.

Today, Nhu Duong has made a name for herself in the bu-
siness. She was the first to win the Mercedes-Benz Young
Fashion Awards in 2008 and in 2010 she was awarded New-
comer of the Year by the fashion magazine Elle. Her compo-
site materials are often highly praised.
Its important to me that I always develop my own mate-
rials. I work with two different systems: one for materials
and techniques and one conceptual. Printing has also be-
come something of a characteristic because it is an easy
way for me to leave my mark on the garments.

Together with the technicians at the Knitting Lab at The

Swedish School of Textiles she developed composites that
look like ordinary materials. She had earlier done much work
in metals and admit she has a fetish for shiny materials.
In that collection, the presence of metals was subtle, like
a secret. I like it better when things are not too obvious and
people are left to find out for themselves, says Nhu Duong.

63
 EXPLORER OF
TEXTILE INNOVATION
TEXT: ELOF IVARSSON. PORTRAITIST: IDA LINDSTRM.

At work, he creates the high technological textiles of the future. Outside work, he holds survival courses in
the open. In the paradox of Nils-Krister Persson, science fiction and the stone age come together.

Although he may be the Head of the Smart Textiles Tech-
nology Lab today, it was pure annoyance with smart tex-
tiles that made him take the first steps on this path five
years ago.
I thought all the talk of smart textiles was just so many
words and decided to go to a seminar to find out if there
was any substance to the hype, Nils-Krister says. After
that I was hooked, I just had to see where it would all
lead to.
With his skeptical background, he is well aware that it may
be difficult to grasp exactly what the Smart Textiles In-
itiative does: its scope is so broad it may be perceived as
vague. The common denominator is the use of textile pro-
cesses, that is combining fibers through weaving, knitting,
felting, embroidery, sewing, melting or braiding. It may not
even involve fabrics. It is definitely more than just clothes
and fashion. It may just as well involve foldable antennas
or flexible Jumbotron screens displaying video content
during sports events.
I visited Ericson Cable in Hudiksvall a while ago and they
were surprised to find out that theyd worked with textile
processes without knowing about it, Nils-Krister laughs. A
major part of my job is to bring promising research into
the world of textiles. Weve come a long way in that res-
pect. Today, Smart Textiles has definitely left its mark on
the academic map. We receive more inquiries from other
academic fields than we are able to realize as projects.
He enjoys being the spider in the web and acting matchma-
ker between academia, research institutions and the bu-
siness community. It creates exciting new prospects. For
example, when a research partner was needed for a degree
work on screening of electromagnetic currents and noise
in electrical appliances at The Swedish School of Textiles.
Nils-Krister knew immediately who to call at the SP Tech-
nical Research Institute of Sweden. The beauty of it all is
that meetings and cross-fertilizations are just as likely to
create international successes as to come to nothing at all.
Outcomes are impossible to predict.
Today, Technology Lab is less about visions than the
rest of Smart Textiles and the work done in the Lab is
more concrete and, possibly, less exciting than before,

64
65
 Nils-Krister says. He approves of this development as it
results in an increasing number of prototypes rolling out of
the workshops.
Now its more roll up your sleeves and get to work. have large contact surfaces and thus perfect for the purpo-
Creating things that are useful to society such as innova-
tions, sustainable solutions and, in the end, more jobs, says
Nils-Krister. I find it really exciting.
As he has now picked up some steam, he follows up that
last statement by listing examples of concrete, important
research. It is not difficult to image that preaching smart
textiles to all the universities, institutions and businesses
out there takes up a considerable portion of his time. That
his work may become just a little too important. However,
Nils-Krister is happy.
He points to how different kinds of advanced filters is a
niche of the textile industry where Sweden is a the front
end of the development. It may involve anything from what
we normally think of as filters to something as unexpec-
ted as water purification adapted to the conditions in deve-
loping countries. In developing countries, electricity is of-
ten in short supply while there is an abundance of sunshine.
The solution is at the same time simple, advanced and bril-
liant. As polluted water is allowed to pass through gigan-
In developing countries, electricity is often in short supply while
there is an abundance of sunshine. The solution is at the same time
simple, advanced and brilliant. As polluted water is allowed to pass
through gigantic textiles coated with photocatalytic titanium dioxide,
the sun starts a chemical purification process. Voil, drinkable water!
66
tic textiles coated with photocatalytic titanium dioxide, the
sun starts a chemical process that breaks down microor-
ganisms. Textiles are often extremely fluffy materials that
se. Voil, drinkable water! More than two million people in
the world die every year as a result of a lack of clean water
and sanitation. The same technique can be used to filter the
air in car tunnels if one adds UV-light to the formula. There
is no question about this being important research.
It is obvious that the environment and nature is important
to Nils-Krister Persson, not only because he has a Doctors
degree in Biomolecular and Organic Electronics; in his spa-
re time, its all about back to nature. Hes not a man who
does things half-heartedly. No one will become a survival
instructor for civilians and ranger units at the Life Regiment
Hussars in Karlsborg if he or she is only mildly interested in
the outdoors. Despite the fact that he himself goes all in, he
is not of the opinion everyone should do so.
I love the outdoors and try to spend as much time there as
I can, but I have noticed that finding the time is difficult for
many people. Maybe we shouldnt make such a big deal out
of it, says Nils-Krister. Perhaps its better to take a Saturday
morning stroll in a nearby recreational area such as Rya sar
than saving it all for the annual hiking-trip in the mountains?
Simply put, he is ecologically involved, as is the people in
Matupproret (the Food Rising), a consumer-based grass-
roots movement working to maintain open landscapes and
ecological, locally produced food in e.g school dining halls in
Sweden. There is clear connection between smart textiles
and his interest in nature. Smart Textiles has a an impor-
tant task: transforming the textile industry from what has
traditionally been a heavily polluting industry branch into
an ecologically more sustainable one. He also sees connec-
tions to his earlier experiences as a researcher specializing
in polymer materials and solar cells for production of green
energy. What is new is the collaboration between so many
different categories of professionals.
Ive been exploring a new world for the past five years and
Ive learned incredibly much. Ive gained a new and greater
respect for all the various professional roles of the textile
world, says Nils-Krister Persson. They are all crucial to our
success, as in many of the projects the professional know-
how of our technicians plays the heroic part. The future of
the textile industry in Sweden depends on if we continue to
generate world-leading experts to fill all kinds of positions.
Competence transfer is also an important task for Smart
Textiles to work with.
Swedish companies have also shown a tendency to have
their textile production return home again, which is only
possible if they specialize in knowledge-intensive niches.
Nils-Krister presents the old curtain factory Ludvig Svens-
son in Kinna as a good example. Profits were miserable
and the company faced a grim future, at least until they
changed their production strategy and began making ad-
vanced ceilings for greenhouses. The ceilings are made in
textile materials and control a number of important growth
factors such as humidity and light intake. Today, the compa-
ny is world-leading in their market segment and a financial
success story. Nils-Krister thinks new application areas for
the products of the textile industry is the future.
Im more of a generalist than a nerd for details and prefer
to see the whole picture, he says. I really like it when I can
bring different perspectives and interests together. Hope-
fully, it will contribute to create exciting, creative business
ventures and not least tomorrows jobs in Sweden.
67
 Knitted blood vessel
takes shape
One year after coronary bypass surgery, one third of
the patients have suffered another blockage of the
blood vessel. It is hoped that Ygraft, a uniquely de-
signed textile blood vessel, will solve this problem.
The formation of extra scar tissue in the new blood ves-
sel decreases the blood flow, causes the blood to clot and
the bypass is blocked. This may cause a heart attack or the
patient may have to amputate a leg, says vascular surgeon
Erney Mattsson one of the originators of Ygraft.
Earlier, researchers have tried to solve the problem with
various kinds of pharmaceuticals, but without success.
Using computer simulations and calculations, we have
found a suitable shape for a human blood vessel that is
as close to a natural one as possible, which was not the
case with the old bypass vessels, says biomathematician
Torbjrn Lundh.
In the construction of the prototype, they used a thorough-
ly tested polyester material and received much help from
people with special competences at Smart Textiles.
PHOto: Henrik Bengtsson.
68
Were very impressed with the help weve received from
the innovative and skilled technicians at The Swedish
School of Textiles. We would never have come this far
without their technical support, says Erney Mattsson.
In the Smart Textiles project Ygraft in Humanly Adjusted
Textiles, development has progressed to the point whe-
re the innovators Erney Mattsson and Torbjrn Lundh has
started performing tests. In the future, a vast market
awaits the patented blood vessel.
FACTS: BYPASS SURGERY
Every year, 1.3 million people undergo bypass
surgery worldwide.
30 % of these, appr. 400 000 people, will have pro-
blems with formation of scar tissue within a year.
Ygraft is patented in Sweden, Japan, China
and Europe.
The largest market is in the USA, where appr.
800 000 bypass operations are performed annually.
Textile disk will
increase mobility
People who suffer from chronic pain in the lower
back often suffer from misaligned vertebrae
in the spine. The most common solution is
arthrodesis, the consequence of which is
decreased mobility. In collaboration with
Smart Textiles, the medical technology
company Ortoma is now conducting re-
search to create soft, artificial disk
prostheses which will be partly adjusted
to fit the individual patient and manu-
factured in a biological, textile material.
Illustration: Perssons Pixlar.

A textile that
expands blood vessels
Together with innovators Erney Mattsson and Torbjrn
Lundh, Smart Textiles has developed a unique solution that
will prevent formation of scar tissue in constricted blood
vessels. Today, doctors normally insert stents into constric-
ted blood vessels and leave them there. When a foreign
object stays in the body, scar tissue is formed. Because
of this, 30 % of the patients who have undergone bypass
surgery to open constricted blood vessels will suffer from
blockage again within a year. Erney Mattsson and Tor-
bjrn Lundhs solution with knitted stents will follow the
previous surgical procedure but they will also be able to be
undone that is, pulled out and removed after the stent
has served its purpose. The prototype has been knitted in
the Knitting Lab at The Swedish School of Textiles with a
special kind of metal thread and the innovators are just
about to try a smoother thread that will be easier to undo.

PHOto: Henrik Bengtsson.

69
 Many who visited
Bors were never
here. For real.

PHOto: Emil Dahlquist.

70
Because a few hours is not enough and going past on the highway does not even
count. It takes days, for some people their entire lives. You have to talk to the people
here. Draw a deep breath and feel oxygen-saturated air reach your lungs. Be there when
the championship cup is raised at Bors Arena. Experience the textiles, the design, the
culture. The International Sculpture Biennale. The seasons. Sommartorsdagarna. The
entrepreneurs. Sip a drink down by Viskan. Be surprised by the architecture. The green
oases. How close to nature it all is. Only then, you will know. Welcome. For real.

71
 The city continues to
grow, breadthwise,
lengthwise and heigth-
wise, and 105,000
PHOTO: Emil Dahlquist.

Borsers grow with it.

72
There is water, there are palm trees,
restaurants, cafs and shopping, but
it is the fact that everything is nearby
that everyone talks about.

73
 A FEW TEXTILE COMPANIES IN, FROM AND AROUND BORS
8848 Altitude, Blklder, Londre-Hatten, Ludvig Svensson, Svenskt
Konstsilke, Abecita, Almedahls, Bola, BOLON, Bubbleroom, Cavaliere,
Cellbes, Craft, Cross, Didriksons, Ellos, Eton, FOV Fabrics, Gina Tricot,
Halens, Hemtex, Ivanhoe, Josefssons, Kasthall, La Redoute, Morris,
Nowali, Nelly.com, Newhouse, Oscar Jacobson, Oxeon, Pret a Porter,
Swea, Seger, Stenstrms, Swegmark of Sweden, Stila of Sweden.

Design: Greta Gram. Photo: Anna Sigge.

74
 Although nothing happened,
everything is different from what
it used to be. The textile center of
the Nordic countries is still here.

Design: Linna Bgander. Photo: Anna Sigge.

75
76
 The Dutch
Connection
TEXT: ELOF IVARSSON. PORTRAITIST: IDA LINDSTRM. PHOTO: JAN NIELSEN.

You have no idea how good you are. People always think their everyday lives are trivial, but what Bors has
to offer is actually something out of the ordinary, Vincent says in perfect English and laughs.

Ghent is an idyllic town with picturesque medieval buil-
dings and beautiful canals. The weather is agreeable and in
2012 the esteemed British newspaper The Guardian wrote
that Ghent is Belgiums best city for food. The university
is respected all over Europe. Bors, on the other hand, is
known as the rain capital of Sweden. Who is stupid enough
to move from lovely Ghent to the wet outskirts of Europe?
The answer is Vincent Nierstrasz, the professor who took
his family, belongings and everything with him and moved
here.
You have no idea how good you are. People always think
their everyday lives are trivial, but what Bors has to offer
is actually something out of the ordinary, Vincent says in
perfect English and laughs. The research here offers such
an incredible breadth: it spans everything from manage-
ment, design and fashion to technical solutions and proto-
type production. Its unique. Other universities are often
specialized in one or two of these things. Here, you have it
all and at a very high level at that.
He already knew Smart Textiles well, because of its Euro-
pean collaborations in the textile field. Vincent did not hesi-
tate when an opportunity presented itself to put together
and lead his own research team at the well-known and
exciting School.
As it is never far between textile universities in Europe,
there is a risk that all of the activities at all the univer-
sities are watered down as an effect, Vincent says. The
Swedish School of Textiles is the only one in Sweden, and
as a consequence the quality of the School is high.
In his opinion it is also important that there is a vigorous
textile industry in the region. An industry willing to deve-
lop. It was the innovative companies that survived the
crisis of the textile industry in the 1970s. They know that
mass production is not the future and instead invest in
knowledge-intensive products. There is also an intriguing
potential in a cross-fertilization involving another tradi-
tional industry.

77
Cellulose-based textiles will become a very important field
in the future, a development that has attracted a lot of atten-
tion in Europe. A field where Sweden is at the forefront.
The forest industry needs to find new ways of marketing
their products in the face of the fierce competition from
other parts of the world today. At the same time, theres an
urgent need to find recyclable alternatives to the ever de-
creasing supply of cotton, says Vincent Nierstrasz. Sweden
has the required expertise in cellulose through the forest
industry and the pulp and paper industries and wood fibers
can be made into excellent textile materials.
He thinks cellulose-based textiles will become a very im-
portant field in the future, a development that has attrac-
ted a lot of attention in Europe. Primarily because recycling
needs to be included already in the first steps of the manu-
facturing process. A field where Sweden is at the forefront
smart solutions for smart textiles. And Vincent would
very much like to help develop these smart solutions.
We like it here and its a great place to live for a family
with small children. My boys already speak Swedish. We
live close to nature and in a beautiful spot. My wife has
a job interview today. If she lands the job, everything
will be perfect. In fact, it was bigger change to move to
78
Belgium from my homeland of the Netherlands than it
was moving to Bors. The culture in Belgium is different,
Vincent laughs. His voice betrays that he is teasing his old
neighboring country, but he is too diplomatic and profes-
sional to do more than hint at it.
Vincent is specialized in biotechnology and has a Doctors
degree in Physical Chemistry. He worked for more than ten
years with textile technology at the Univeristy of Twente,
inspired by natures own solutions, biomimetics. He carried
his fascination with the field with him both to Ghent Uni-
versity and now all the way to his professors chair at The
Swedish School of Textiles and Smart Textiles.
In textile contexts, Velcro straps are perhaps the first
and most widely known example of technology that we
have copied from nature, says Vincent. They were intro-
duced already in 1949 and are still extremely useful.
His most recently published research is about bio-based,
mosquito repellent textiles. Clothes in that material can be
used effectively to fight malaria and dengue fever without
being as harmful to people and the environment as the ol-
der, synthetic substances were. There are lots of inspiring
research areas for Smart Textiles, in his opinion. Although
both long-term and short-term topics are interesting, it is
important that applications for the research is developed
quickly.
There are some good examples. Digital ink-jet printers
that make patterns for textiles is new technology that will
be very important and already exists today, says Vincent
Nierstratz. It may not sound very impressive, but its very
precise, economical and sustainable. The ecological foot-
prints will be significantly lighter.
Another topic of great importance to him is how innova-
tions and inventions can find practical uses. The problems
that have to be solved before they can become reality are
often related to ensuring the new solutions withstand eve-
ryday usage such as washing, wear and aging. Or how to
use the advanced invention without access to electricity.
There is much to gain from bio-inspired research, textiles
that react to stimuli from the environment.
We sometimes forget that research must lead to indu-
strial production and be ecologically sustainable, Vincent
says. Thats why the Smart Textiles Prototype Factory is
one of our greatest advantages. At the Prototype Factory
were able to develop full-scale examples and see for our-
selves how well they work and which problems we have
to solve for the prototypes to stand a chance to make it to
mass production in, say, five years.
With all the advantages offered by Smart Textiles, Vincent
thinks it is even more important to expand its already
strong presence in Europe. To become the natural part-
ner not only of Swedish businesses but also of the textile
industry of continental Europe. He hopes to be able to
contribute to the continued establishment with his expe-
rience and network of contacts. And after two years in
Bors he does not regret moving here at all. Despite the
rain.
79
 PHOTO: IKEA.

80
Recycled waste becomes
new textile materials
Researchers are trying to develop new polymer
materials for use in plastic products, composites
and textile fibers. This also includes developing
functional fibers which among other things can be
used in smart textiles.

We also study recycling of plastic materials and com-

posites and the possibility of producing polymer products
from bio-based raw materials, says Mikael Skrifvars,
Professor in Fiber Technology.

One project examines if it is possible to use a modified

form of poly(lactic acid or PLA) to make scaffolds on
which cells can be grown and used to create new textile
implants that will replace damaged bone tissue in human
patients. Attempts are made to recycle discarded rotor
blades from wind turbines through microwave pyrolysis,
which may be a new way of recycling composites. Another
project, which is conducted in close collaboration with a
university in Nigeria, studies the possibility of making ther-
mosetting plastics from the seeds of the rubber tree.

IKEA believes in the power of innovation

Today, society consumes resources at a rate that
will take one and a half planet to recreate. Over the
coming fifteen years, there will be another three
billion consumers in the world.
People rise from poverty, live longer and improve the lives
of their families, which is an amazing development. At the
same time, we have to solve the challenge of how to create
a sustainable world. We will have to develop new solutions
if resources are to sustain us all.
Its a myth that products manufactured in a sustainable
way are expensive and boring. New materials, new techni-
ques and constructions containing fewer and better che-
micals are often less expensive when it comes to textiles.
Tomorrows textiles will be almost perpetually recycla-
ble, leave minimal ecological footprints, and less harmful
chemicals will be used to make them. They will contribute
to making the world a better place, says Jeanette Skjel-
mose, Sustainability Manager at IKEA.
In her opinion, we have to continue to research and develop
innovative solutions which are good for both people and the
environment, while at the same time keeping costs down in
order for the products to be available for most of the people
in the world. This is a development IKEA wants to contribu-
te to through e.g. Better Cotton, which in 2015 will be the
only cotton the company uses in its products.
Sustainability mustnt be a luxury, it has to be for every-
one. If we cant solve that problem, less good alternati-
ves will be the cheapest and will outsell sustainable ones.
Our planet wont be able to cope with that, says Jeanette.
Most of the work is still ahead of us. Wonderful future!

81
Textile Fashion

82
Center A meeting place for creative people in fashion, textiles and design.

A new city district is emerging in Bors.

The old industrial site Simonsland in central
Bors is gradually becoming the new meeting
place for creative people in fashion, textiles
and design: the Textile Fashion Center.

Under serrated roofs where in the past threads

were spun for anything from French gala crea-
tions to textiles for the offshore industry, Smart
Textiles, The Swedish School of Textiles, the
Museum of Textile History, Marketplace Bors,
the Inkubator in Bors, Drivhuset, Proteko and
others will now find a new home.

The textile cluster will promote collaborations

and show the strength the region possesses in the
textile field. It is a collaboration between com-
panies, research institutes, organizations working
with innovations and business development, and
the University.
ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS: Sweco and DTH-arkitekter.

83
 1 800 rolls of tar paper has been used during the construction.
7 soccer fields that is the size of the reconstruction site.
270,000 cubic meters air/hour is the capacity of the air ventilation system.
3.5 tons of liquid filler in 5 000 square meters. Holder of the Swedish record in the amount of floor leveled in a single day!

84
One of Swedens largest solar cell installations
Did you know that one of the largest solar cell installations in the country was opened in September 2012?
It is 770 square meters in size and placed on the roof of the main building. The energy generated is already used
for the construction project and, in time, will fill part of the energy demand of the building.

85
 &
COMPLETED Smart Textiles Design Lab
Costumes and Wallhanging (It is possible, Avantex)
Costumes and Wallhanging (Material Sense)
Textile dimensions an expressive textile interface
Designing
Disseminating knowledge of electronic textiles at art schools and universities
Touching Loops
with Heat (Autex)
Interactive Textile
(Futuro Textiel)
Knitted Light Expressions in Spatial Design: Architecture as Synesthetci Expressions
Relational Textiles for Space Design (2012)
Dual-textures: textiles in between function and ornamentation
Touching Loops (It is possible)
Touching Loops (Exhibited at Responsive)
Designing with heat (It is possible)
Designing with Heat (Cesme)
ONGOING An Interactive Textile Hanging: Textile, Context, and Interaction
An Interactive Textile Hanging: Textiles, Spaces and Interaction
Repetition: interactive expressions of pattern translation
PROJECTS Heat as Interactive Expressions for Knitted Structures
Interactive Textile Expressions in Architectural Design: Architecture as Synesthetic Expression
DualTextures: textiles in between function and onamentation
Knitted Light Space and Emotion
Smart Textiles strategic issues and the role of experimental design
(Eds.), Ambience11 Proceedings
Textile Interaction Design
Smart Textiles (Science for the profession 2)
Smart Textiles Technology and Design (Ambience 08)
On the Foundations of Interaction Design Aesthetics: Revisiting the Notions of Form and Expression
Interaction Design Foundations, Experiments
(Eds.), Ambience11 Exhibition
Culture Club
Interweaving Art and Fashion
Fashioning the Future
Well Done Daphne
The Textile
Textile Light Design
Textile Light Design (Proceedings of Cumulus 38degrees South)
Weaving and knitting experiments with optical fibers
rhythm exercise_13 IN 1
Light and Shadow Play The Sun as an Aesthetic Trigger for Urban Textiles
Upholstery concepts for automotives using smart textiles
Mask
Mask In (Ambience11 Exhibition)
Lab, Field, Gallery, and Beyond
Anxiety, Trust and other Expressions of Interaction (2009)
The burning tablecloth (It is possible, Avantex)
The burning tablecloth (Material Sense)
A wall hanging as an organic interface (OUI11): Second International Workshop on Organic User Interfaces)
A Wall Hanging as an Organic Interface
Saturday Light Fever
Chromatic chlorophyll Conceptual hospital textiles with chromatic Smart Materials
Ocean and Sea Design with Chromatic Smart Materials,
Aperitivo (HappyHour)
Switch! Designing for Everyday Awarness
Switch! Energy Ecologies in Everyday Life
Switch! Energy Ecologies in Everyday Life (International Journal of Design, Vol.2, No.3)
Criticality meets sustainability: constructing critical practices in design research for sustainability
Luminous Textiles
Understanding the complexity of designing dynamic textile patterns.
Designing with Smart Textiles: A New Research Program
Electrical Burn-outs a Technique to Design Knitted Dynamic Textile Patterns
Exploring Designing Dynamic and Irreversible Textile Patterns, using a non-chemical Design Technique
Knitted Circuits for Visual and Tactile Interactive Expressions
Knitted Circuits for Visual and Tactile Interactive Expressions (2009)
Costumes and Wallhanging
A design technique for irreversible patterns (It is possible, Avantex)
A design technique for irreversible patterns (Material Sense)
Functional Styling Exploring a Textiles Design Space
Material Innovation
Tangled Interaction: On the Expressiveness of Tangible User Interfaces. ACM ToCHI
Disruptions
Design Research
Chair of Paradise
Textile resistance
Repetition
Future master craftsmanship: where we want electronic textile crafts to go
Neocraft: Exploring Smart Textiles in the Light of Traditional Textiles Crafts
The dark side of design thinking (2012)
Existential Design The dark side of design
Finding the Frontiers
VGR in Bangalore
Designing dynamic textile patterns (2010)
Dynamic Textiles Patterns: Designing with Smart Textiles (2006)
Dynamic Textiles Patterns: Designing with Smart Textiles (2007)
Dynamic Textiles Patterns (Future Textiles, Centre for Textile Research, University of Copenhagen)
Textile Sound Design (2008)
Textile Sound Design (2011)

86
Smart Textiles Prototype Factory
Kristine Bjaadal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The cloth Underfull

HE design studio, Oslo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The textile/chair Between

Mika Mrtensson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Two lengths knitted in monofilament yarn

OY B Huhta AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gloves automation of production

Pjama AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Functional pajama

Ygraft AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ygraft

Graduation project Chalmers/VTC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Biotextiles in PLA

Smart Textiles Design Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lengths printed with thermochromic pigments for workshops

Gabriel A/S, lborg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Warping of high tensity yarn and monofil in the weft. Mesh structure

Kinna Automatic AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Information about spinning mills for their new textile fibers

School of Engineering, University of Bors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Knitting a prototype in fibers Scaffold.

Smart Textiles Technology Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Moisture measuring reinforcement cloth

Smart Textiles Technology Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fiber optical sensor carpet with Acreo

Chalmers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Soft, weight-bearing materials for implants in the human body

Danmarks designskole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Knit Shell Chair

Smart Textiles Design Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Textile resistance

Smart Textiles Design Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Smart textiles as innovative interface for commercial vehicles

Smart Textiles Technology Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Graduation project Weave in fiber optics

Isabel Cabral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Black thermochromic pigment

Graft Craft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CStretch

Ortoma AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Soft, weight-bearing materials for implants in the human body

Hilleberg AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Signature coating

VGR / Smart Textiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Giveaways to the Region Vstra Gtaland for the ICSB conference

Ume Institute of Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Belt with integrated LED lighting

Graft Craft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RipUpStent

Bostads AB Mimer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Apartment of the future

Smart Textiles Technology Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Smart garment for total body composition monitor

Teknologiska Lab Stockholm AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cleancloth

Stockholm school of entrepreneurship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iSGloves, gloves with touch capacitative function

Linkping University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Woven fabric for solar cells

Tommy Martinsson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shielding, circular knitted fabric

Medfield Diagnostics AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Medfield Cap

Inerventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elektrodress

Sort of design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Circular knitted piece goods

Tina Frausin art & glass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Knitted metal sculptures

Jesper Danielsson, The Swedish School of Textiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Seebright Thermo Waterproof Jacket

Marjan Kooroshnia, Smart Textiles Design Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CO2 detector

Trelleborg museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The salt project, thermochromic fabrics

Christina Edursdotter AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Circular knitted fabric

Smart Textiles Design Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Designing with heat and shrinkage

Smart Textiles Design Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Electro kit

Smart Textiles Design Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Low temp thermocromic pigment

Smart Textiles Design Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Designing with heat, melting monofilament

Smart Textiles Design Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Designing with heat, melting wool

Smart Textiles Design Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Textile resistance

Smart Textiles Design Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Piezoelectric weave

OrganoClick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . OrganoTex

Shings AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shings hoof boot. Make a knitted prototype in a material chosen by Swerea

Swerea IVF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sew three different seams, Swerea project. no. 5120261

Ann-Sofie Back Atelje . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Showpieces

Swerea IVF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hydrophobing

Engtex AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Circular knit

Swerea IVF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Development of 4-5 materials with different yarns for the safe@sea project

Smart Textiles Design Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Woven lengths with heating elements

Smart Textiles Technology Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Registering motions of epilepsy patients

Smart Textiles Technology Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Optical textiler

Swerea IVF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PCM + Safe protex

Smart Textiles Design Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rythms (Bonad)

Smart Textiles Design Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Textile window

Fibre Optics Valley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Making of a ribbon weave in fiber optics

Nhu Duong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Circular knitted pieces of art

Smart Textiles Technology Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fiber optic material

Smart Textiles Technology Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bio imp sock glove

Farmhouse Norwegian Creative Centre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Reflective material implemented in fashion textiles

Smart Textiles Design Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Sound Lab

Physical Illusion AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-stopper back protector

Smart Textiles Technology Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Water purification with Mucor indicus

Pockin AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Knitted handkerchiefs

Smart Textiles Technology Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ATREC

Marappo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Environmentally friendly bleaching

Stefan Liner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NapTime

Smart Textiles Design Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Textile surfaces on furniture, molded textiles

Linnea Nilsson, The Swedish School of Textiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Project 1609

Smart Textiles Design Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Photocromic print

Gapwaves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pilot study of an active electromagnetic shielding of high frequency electronics

Smart Textiles Design Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rhythms

Smart Textiles Design Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Textile and glass. Light and color

Smart Textiles Design Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Changing patterns (analog)

Ten Medical Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10MD

Abinitio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cullus

ACG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Development of a system for labels with smart properties

Green-Tex A/S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dyeing in stenter

Smart Textiles Technology Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Textile electronics using intarsia knitting

Tina Frausin art & glass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Knitted metal sculptures

Swerea IVF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Monitors for assessment of lint

OrganoClick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fluorocarbon-free functional textile

SCA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Odor inhibiting wipe

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 Smart Textiles Technology Lab
COMPLETED & ON-GOING PROJECTS
Modeling carbon nanotubes and their polymer composites for textile applications
Computational modeling of carbon nanotube growth and carbon nanotube-based polymer composites
Calculation model for nanoparticle-based polymer fibers
Textile Sensors Enabling e-Health Applications
Melt-spinning of conductive fibers
Studies of electrically conductive textile coatings with PEDOT:PSS
Textile concrete self cleaning properties
The use of Textiles in an Acoustic Context
Evaluation of EEG monitoring with electrode cap
Artifact removal from Textile-enable Electrical bioimpedence measurments
Characterization of Textrodes for Electrical Bioimpedance measurements
Performance evaluation of woven textile electrodes for EGC biopotentials
Development of a wireless battery-driven textile sensor stretch
Textrodes for EEG
Conductive Polymer Films
Three-dimensional multilayer structures for interactive textiles
Dyeing of Wool and Silk Fibers with Conductive Polyelectrolytes and Comparing Their Conductance
Improvement of electro-mechanical properties of strain sensors made of elastic-conductive hybrid yarns
Optimization of oCVD Process for the Production of Conductive Fibers
Production of highly conductive textile viscose yarns by chemical vapor deposition technique. A route to continuous process
Stretch Sensing Properties of PEDOT Coated Conductive Yarns Produced by OCVD Process
Surface modification of conductive PEDOT coated textile yarns with silicone resin
3D Weaving Technique Applied in Long Term Monitoring of Brain Activity
A Novel Approach for Removing the Hook Effect Artifact from Electrical Bioimpedance Spectroscopy Measurements
Adaptive spatio-temporal filtering of disturbed ECGs: a multi-channel approach to heartbeat detection in smart clothing
Carbon Black-Filled Silicone Rubber based Strain Sensor Experiment, Modeling and Simulation
Classification of Burst and Suppression in the Neonatal EEG
Comparison of Dry-Textile Electrodes for Electrical Bioimpedance Spectroscopy Measurements
Computational studies of Poly(vinyliden fluoride)and Poly(vinyliden fluoride) Single Wall Carbon Nanotube Composites
Computational studies of single wall carbon nanotube and graphene growth
Computational studies on enhancing -phase poly (vinylidene fluoride)
Conducting bicomponent fibers obtained by melt spinning of PA6 and polyolefins containing high amounts of carbonaceous fillers.
Conductive polyblend fibers made of polyamide-6/polypropylene/polyaniline for smart textile applications: electrical and mechanical properties
Conductive Coated Force Sensor in cargo Transportation Security System
Conductive polyblend fibers made of polyamide-6/polypropylene/polyaniline for smart textiles applications: electrical and mechanical properties
Contact Resistance Measurements on multifilament silver yarn
Design of a Garment-Based Sensing System for Breathing Monitoring
Designing for Extreme Conditions
Disappearing Sensor Textile based Sensor for Monitoring Breathing
EEG Measurements Using Textile Electrodes.
Effects of surface structure and substrate color differences in textile coatings containing interference special effect pigments a multi-angle study
Electrical bioimpedance Cerebral Monitoring
Electrical Bioimpedance Cerebral Monitoring. A Study of the Current Density Distribution and Impedance Sensitivity Maps on a 3D Realistic Head Model
Electrical resistance measurement methods and electrical characterization of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) coated conductive fibers
Electrically conductive textile coating with a PEDOT-PSS dispersion and a polyurethane binder
Electrically conductive textile fibers with hybridized graphite nanoplatelets and carbon black filler
Electro-conductiver polyblend fibers of Polyamide-6/polypropylene/polyanilline: electrical, morphological and mechanical characteristics
Enhancement of a voltage controlled current source for wideband electrical bioimpedance spectroscopy
Extraction of structural information from impedance spectrum data. A step towards the identification of cellular edema
Fabrication of melt spun electroconductive fibers using multiwalled carbon nanotubes, polypropylene and compatibilizer
Fiber-based single-wire keyboard The Integration of a Flexible Tactile sensor into E-textiles.
First principles and molecular mechanics studies of carbon nanotubes polyvinylidene systems
Functionalization of textile yarns by coating with conjugated polymer (PEDOT) for smart textile applications
Improvement of melt spinning properties and conductivity of immiscible PP/PS blends containing carbon black by addition of SEBS
Influence of coating parameters on the textile and electrical properties of a PEDOT:PSS/PU coated textile
Influence of electrode mismatch on Cole parameter estimation from Total Right Side Electrical Bioimpedance Spectroscopy measurements
Interactive Textile Structures; Creating Multifunctional Textiles based on Smart Materials
Capacitive measurement of ECG in equine medicine new technology for measurement of ECG for horses with the purpose of increasing the well-being of the animal
Knitted Textile Strain Sensor for Respiration measurement
Long-term monitoring of the heart, brain and muscles using textile-based sensors.
Medical applications of smart textiles Triple Helix collaboration between Smart Textiles and MedTech West
Melt blending of carbon nanotubes/poly-aniline/polypropylene compounds and their meltspinning to conductive fibres
Melt spinning of b-phase poly(vinylidene fluoride) yarns with and without a conductive core
Melt spinning of carbon nanotube modified polypropylene conducting nanocomposite fibers
Melt spinning of carbon nanotube modified polypropylene for electrically conducting nanocomosite fibers
Melt spinning of conducting polymeric composites containing carbonaceous fillers.
Melt spinning of conductive textile fibers with hybridized graphite nanoplatelets and carbon black filler,
Melt spinning of poly(vinylidene fluoride) fibers and their influence of spinning parameters on b-phase crystallinity
Melt spinning of poly(vinylidene fluoride) mono- and bi-component fibers and yarns The formation of piezoelectric b-phase crystallinity
Melt spinning of potentially electroactive textile fibers
Melt spinning of PVDF fibers with enhanced phase structure
Melt Spun Electro-Conductive Polymer Composite Fibers
Melt-spinning of -phase Poly(Vinylidene Fluoride) yarns with and without a conductive core
Model Based Enhancement of Bioimpedance Spectroscopy Analysis: Towards Textile Enabled
Molecular Dynamics Studies of the Influence of Single Wall Carbon Nanotubes on the Mechanical Properties of Poly(vinylidene fluoride)
Molecular level simulations of nanoscale and polymer systems
Monitoring of Brain Activity Using Textile Electrodes
NO BUG: Biobased mosquitoes repellent personal protective equipment (PPE)
Novel Temperature Regulating Fibers and Garments
On the development of novel piezoelectric fibre sensor
On the production of polyethylene dielectrics and conductive polymer composite fibers
Optimization of oCVD Process for the Production of Conductive Fibers
Oxidative chemical vapor deposition polymerization of poly 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene on Viscose yarns a route to conductive textile structures
PEDOT Coated Viscose Fibers by Optimized OCVD Process: Washing and Stretch Sensing Properties
Piezoelectric polymeric bicomponent fibers produced by melt spinning
Poling and characterization of piezoelectric bi-component fibers
Polyaniline-polypropylene melt-spun fiber filaments: the collaborative effects of blending conditions and fiber draw ratios on the electrical properties of fiber filaments
Preparation of conducting fibers by melt spinning of polyaniline-polypropylene blends modified with carbon nanotubes
Preparation of conductive textiles fibers by melt spinning and coating methods by utilizing carbon nanotubes and conjugated polymers
Preparation of conductive viscose fibers by vapor deposition polymerization of poluthiophene
Preparation of melt spun conductive polypropylene/polyaniline fibers for smart textile applications
Production of conductive yarns by chemical vapor deposition technique of PEDOT viscose fibers
Production of highly conductive textile viscose yarns by chemical vapor deposition technique. A route to continuous process

88
 Progress in understanding controlled single-wall carbon nanotube growth from computer simulations.
Slowly Altering Electrical Potentials over the Head During Hypoxia and LPS Exposure
Smart Textiles in Neonatal Monitoring: Enabling Unobtrusive Monitoring at the NICU
Smart textiles for knitted products Prototype factory
Soft Textile Electrodes for EEG Monitoring
Spectroscopy study of the dynamics of the transencephalic electrical impedance in the perinatal brain during hypoxia
Strategies for the preparation of conductive textile fibers for smart and functional textiles
Stretchable Circuit Board technology enabling Seamless Textile-Electronic Integration for Electrical Muscle Stimulation Therapy
Studies of electrically conductive textile coatings with PEDOT:PSS
Syntheses of High Performance, Conductive PEDOT-coated Polyester Yarns by OCVD Technique.
Ternary composites made of carbon nanotubes/polypropylene/Polyaniline and melt spinning to conductive fibers
Testing and evaluation of textile based stretch sensor
Textrode functional straps for bioimpedance measurements. Experimental results for Body Composition Analysis
Textile Electrodes for EEG Recording A Pilot Study
Textile Sound Structures
Textile Strain Sensors Characterization - Sensitivity, Linearity, Stability and Hysteresis
Textiles Microphone Elements
Textrode Functional Straps for Bioimpedance Measurements-Experimental Results for Body composition Analysis.
The Challenge of the Skin-Electrode Contact in Textile-enabled Electrical Bioimpedance Measurements for Personalized Healthcare Monitoring Applications
The influence of matrix viscosity on properties of polypropylene/polyaniline composite fibers rheological, electrical and mechanical characteristics
The use of Textiles in an Acoustic Context
Three-dimensional multilayer fabric structures for interactive textiles
Three-dimensional weaving technique with possible applications in medical technology
Use of Technical Textiles to achieve Bio-Inspired Self-Cleaning Concrete Facades
Use of technical textiles to obtain self-cleaning buildning surfaces

Smart Textiles COMPANY DRIVEN PROJECTS
Kasthall Mattor & Golv AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Functional styling, Smart Styling
EngTex, FOV, Industritextil Job, Jirotex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Textile Mikrophone Elements
Almedahl-Kinna, Albany, FOV Fabrics AB, Scandfilter AB (now Vokes Air AB) . . . . . . . . . . Coating of Textile Material with Conductive Polymers
Scandfilter AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Surface Modification of Polymer Fiber with Plasma Technology
Facilette AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pre-study Geotechnic weave
Ludvig Svensson AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Water Steaming Greenhouse Woven Permeable
Saab Barracuda AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Adhesion Between Advanced Functional Layers
Mlnlycke Health Care AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nano Fiber for Wound Care Products
Kwintet Fristads AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Smart Clean Room Seams Performed with smart Technologies
AB Initi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pre-treatment device
TST Sweden AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Material Development of Protective Clothing UHP (Ultra High Pressure)
FOV Fabrics AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Breating Alarm for Infants
Hedareds Sand & Betong AB, Nordifa, Teknitex, FOV Fabrics AB and Almedahl-Kinna AB . . . CONTEXTILE Textile in Concrete for Better Surface Qualities
Acqwool Development AB, AB Ludvig Svensson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Room Acoustic Measurements in a Full-scale Environment
FOV Fabrics AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Optical films in textile applications
Scandfilter (now Vokes Air AB), FOV Fabrics AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Static Electricity Charged Filter for Ozone Reduction
Lars Brandin (Smart Textiles Prototype Factory) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Geotechnic weave
Mejt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cellphone bag with radiation shielding
AB Initio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cullus. Industrial Knitted Sound Absorbents
TST Sweden AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Smart Textiles Influence on the Human Body
Smart Textiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pre-Study of Manufacture of Conductive Fibers
Jaba Group AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Textile Furniture
Forsberg Form AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Reinforced Textile Concrete for Construction and Art
Smart Textiles Technology Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Textile Photonic Gap
Ludvig Svensson AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Test Method for Moisture Evaporation
Woolpower AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Development of Reinforcement Materials for Climate Comfort
Navic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ships hawser
Hvding Sverige AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bicycle helmet
Saab Barracuda AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Adhesion Between Advanced Functional Layers
Magnus Stenberg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Alarm-Tape
AB Svenskt Konstsilke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pre-Study of Manufacture of Conductive Fibers Jaba Group AB .
Epical Innovation AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Electrically conductive filters
Ludvig Svensson AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Textiles with Integrated LED-Lamps
Trisquel Medical AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Z-Health
Forsberg Form AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Reinforced Textile Concrete for Construction and Art
AB Svenskt Konstsilke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Yarn Treatment for PUR Composites
AB Svenskt Konstsilke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Method for Coating of Conductive Fibres
Pjama AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pajama of Functional Textiles
In Life Design AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Industrial verification of EKG measurement
Z-health Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .EBI-sock for domestic care
Nike Tech Mariestad AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Heat transfer using conductive textile fibers
Smart Textiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pre-Study Generic Technology Platform Textile Furniture
FOV Fabrics AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Textile facade elements
Ygraft AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ygraft in Humanly Adjusted Textiles
FOV Fabrics AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Relining-System for Moisture Tracking
Scandfilter AB (now Vokes Air AB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Conductive Filtration System
AB Texrep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Light-emitting opto-components in textiles
Mejt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MEJT - Screening Belt for Your Mobile Phone
GraftCraft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PressCise (Cstretch)
Ortoma AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Soft, weight-bearing materials for implants in the human body
Inerventions AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Elektrodress Garment for the Inervention method
Svenska quinTex AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Industrial verification of new a hightech weaving process
ACG Accent AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Development of a system for labels with smart properties
Nordiska Etikettbolaget AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Superweave label with built-in traceability
Almedahl-Kinna AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Light controlling curtain
Engtex AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Textiles as surface reinforcement of concrete facades
FOV Fabrics AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Textile heating elements
AB Svenskt Konstsilke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Melt-spinning in Bors: build-up, start-up and melt-spinning of specialized fibers
Torbjrn dman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Portable radar textile
Ivanoff Hovercraft AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hovertex abrasion resistant textiles for hovercrafts
FOV Fabrics AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Textile biogas reactor
Vokes Air AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Modification of the surface of textile filter material for effective particle separation
TST Sweden AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Development of heat reflecting textile
Gapwaves AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pre-study of active electromagnetic shielding of high frequency electronics
OrganoClick AB, Norrona Sport AS, Bergans Fritid AS, Houdini Sportswear AB,

Klttermusen AB, Haglfs Scandinavia AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fluorocarbon-free functional textile

89
 Why is it important to you to be a member of the
Smart Textiles Steering Group?
Ola Toftegaard
CHAIRMAN OF THE STEERING GROUP
Ive been with Smart Textiles since the beginning and it is a very
important and exciting research area for the textile industry. The time
has come to make new international contacts, create new collabora-
tions and secure funding from the EU to ensure long-term success.
Smart Textiles know no boundaries!
Bjrn Brorstrm
Vice-Chancellor, UNIVERISITY OF BORS
Smart Textiles is science for the professions and innovation at its
best. As a member of the Steering Group, I have an opportunity to
follow the development and contribute to discussions on objectives,
strategies and results.
Helena L Nilsson
HEAD OF THE UNIT FOR RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT,
REGION VSTRA GTALAND
Smart Textiles is an initiative of national and international radiance
and potential. As a representative of Region Vstra Gtaland, I want
to contribute to making sure Smart Textiles is equipped to create
value for and ideas among entrepreneurs, researchers and players in
the public sector.
Lena Brnnmar
CEO, THE SJUHRAD ASSOCIATION OF LOCAL AUTHORITIES
In several ways, Smart Textiles is an important field of development
for the Bors area. It helps maintain and develop the textile heritage
and contributes to the financial growth of the Bors area. Finding new
ways of using textiles is not only beneficial to the Bors area but will
also result in contributions at the national and international levels.
Thomas Walln
CEO, SDRA LVSBORG HOSPITAL
There are innumerable applications for the innovations of Smart Tex-
tiles in the health care sector, where we havent yet understood the
magnitude of them. Being part of this development is a rare luxury.
90
Per-Erik Petersson
CTO, DEPUTY CEO, SP TECHNICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF SWEDEN
Smart Textiles is an incredibly exciting project that brings together
top competence and practical applications in an area of importance to
Sjuhrad (and Sweden). The recipe for success is based on close col-
laborations between The Swedish School of Textiles and the business
community with the SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden as
an important catalyst. Im happy to be a participant and to be able to
influence and contribute to the continuation of a successful process.
Pernilla Walkenstrm
DEPUTY CEO, DEPARTMENT MANAGER TEXTILES AND PLASTICS, SWEREA IVF
Smart Textiles is a very exciting environment and contributes greatly
to the development of the textile field. I want to help promote rese-
arch, development and innovation and create favorable conditions for
using research results in product development.
Mats Lundgren
MANAGING DIRECTOR, FOV FABRICS
Developing a new, exciting area of expertise that can potentially help
our textile and fashion industry become even more competitive and
develop new innovative products is important to us.
Joachim Lindqvist
BUSINESS AREA MANAGER TEXTILES, IKEA OF SWEDEN AB
I want my contribution to strengthen textile innovations and to make
them become reality as they are presented to consumers and users. I
want to make the connections between ideas, research and produc-
tion stronger.
Magnus Berggren
CEO, 8848 ALTITUDE
As the CEO of a business that is in the process of building a global
brand with core values such as design, innovation and function, it
is important to be part of the development of Smart Textiles and
represent our industry the sports business not least from a
commercial point of view.
FORMER MEMBERS OF THE SMART TEXTILES STEERING GROUP

Lars Karlsson
FORMER CHAIRMAN OF THE SMART TEXTILES STEERING GROUP

I was asked by TEKO to take part in Smart Textiles (ST) in order to

create a balance between the interests of academia and the business
community. The connection to the resources at the University and the
needs of the business community has been the motivation behind my
involvement in ST. The power of the cluster opens great opportunities
for the industry if the resources of the cluster are used in a wise way.
ST has so far generated both new products and businesses and the
work of ST can yield even better results if academia, the business
community and the region put the power of the cluster to good use.

Anne Ludvigson
CEO, LUDVIG SVENSSON

It was important for me to become a member of the Smart Textiles

Steering Group in order to influence and contribute to future research
in the textile field at the University of Bors. As the fourth genera-
tion running a family business, we at Ludvig Svensson rely heavily on
competencies in textile materials, processes and people. In the long
run, we will be successful if we create a dynamic cluster for textiles
where knowledge is generated across boundaries.

Urban Olsson
CEO, Svenskt Konstsilke

International business thinking is important in the development of the

smart textiles of the future. The composition of the Steering Group
with members from the business community, academia and public
functions resulted in creative discussions, which I think inspired and
guided the management at Smart Textiles.

Roland Ohlander THE SMART TEXTILES INITIATIVE is an environment

Vokes Air
As a former member of the Steering Group, I know for a fact that
Smart Textiles works with many exciting projects. I have a back-
ground in the filter business and I know there are useful examples
from that business. Smart Textiles has worked with conductive fibers
which makes air filters both more energy efficient and less expensive.
Im convinced more companies would benefit greatly from entering
into development projects together with Smart Textiles.
built up around close collaborations between the
University of Bors, SP Technical Research Insti-
tute of Sweden, Swerea IVF and the Inkubator
in Bors. Its main financiers are Vinnova, Region
Vstra Gtaland and the Sjuhrad Association of
Local Authorities. Smart Textiles is also funded
by Sparbanksstiftelsen Sjuhrad and other rese-
arch financiers.
Fabrics that purify water using nothing but the sun as energy source. Clothes
that can take an EKG or become cool at extreme temperatures. Smart textiles
that revolutionizes our lives.

The textile industry is about to take a giant step from being a supplier of fabrics
to become a positive force in the development of society. Textile innovations
improve peoples everyday lives and benefit the industry, the health care sector
and the environment.

However, innovations do not spring from nothing. It takes an open environment

where people from many different backgrounds are allowed to meet and in-
volve in open-ended communication to find both sought-after and unexpected
solutions. Smart Textiles is that innovation environment in Northern Europe.
Today, the research community, the business community, institutions and the
public sector come together to find the solutions of the future. As the Smart
Textiles Initiative offers a complete solution including everything from basic
research to prototype development, it is the natural partner for realizing textile
ideas or meeting a need with textile technology.

With over 350 research and company driven projects since the foundation of the
Initative in 2006, Smart Textiles has not only become a motor for the textile
industry in Sweden but an important player on the international arena.

www.smarttextiles.se