A new study has found that conductive seams, when strategically placed in clothing, can accurately track body motion.

More than it seams: conductive yarn tracks body motion

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2021-07-02 11:00:10

A new study has found that conductive seams, when strategically placed in clothing, can accurately track body motion.

According to computer scientists at the University of Bath, such charged seams can respond to subtle movements that aren’t picked up by popular fitness trackers, such as watches and wristbands. And in the study, they found that clothing made with conductive seams can be analysed to identify the wearer’s movements.

“There are lots of potential applications for conductive yarn in any activity where you want to identify and improve the quality of a person’s movement,” said PhD student Olivia Ruston at Bath. “This could be very helpful in physiotherapy, rehabilitation, and sports performance.”

As part of the study, the team connected the seams to a microcontroller, and then a computer, where it recorded the voltage signal.