EVERYTHING seems to be going smart these days, whether smart governments or smart clothing. With the research into electronics and textiles progressing, it won't be too long before smart clothes become the norm. In some European countries and the US, research that started in the 1980s has developed commercial brands of, for example, networked pants and heat-sensing bras. At the outset, the clothes that were produced showed wires, antennae and otherthings, which detracted from their aesthetic appearance. Today, sensing fibres are knitted directly into the fabric of the garment in a fashionable way, so that the wearers can see no difference from ordinary clothing. However, within a few years, China, the Asian giant which has a reputation for invading the rest of the world with its tacky products, will probably start dump Third World markets with smart clothes. In anticipation of this, researchers at the Faculty of Applied Arts in Cairo have been calling for the commercial production of some of the items they have been working on, on an experimental basis, for three years now. Professor of Clothes Designing Technology Mohamed Abdullah el-Gamal says that it is vital to cope with the dictates of artificial intelligence, which has changed the shape of the world because of its influence on computer-enhanced industries. The faculty has been able, according to el-Gamal, to produce a smart anti-theft rug, which is embedded with electronics that set off an alarm once a stranger steps on it. Final year students have been also engaged in various other projects, including the production of anti-electrostatic fibres, that will be used in clothing for patients with neurological complaints. El-Gamal told the Arabic-language Radio and TV magazine that he had supervised the production of a kind of fabric embedded with tiny capsules of honey and a medical substance, that together help heal wounds in record time. He explained that, once the fabric touches the wound, these nanometric capsules burst, feeding the wound with the honey combined with the substance. Amazingly, these fabrics are washable. The faculty researchers have also been experimenting with clothes for self-defence which set off an alarm or spray powder in the face of an offender. Prof. el-Gamal also mentioned that a female student is currently engaged in designing a smart garment that protects its wearer from stalkers by producing electric waves. He said the faculty research team intended to hold a meeting with the Chamber of Commerce, with a view to manufacturing and then marketing the items they have produced over the past three years. He believes that this should prove very tempting for sponsors and manufacturers, given the fact that the local market is so far devoid of wearable, technology-treated fabrics. The sensors used in these fabrics can be varied according to the required purpose, while smart clothes can be customised for users. El-Gamal has high hopes for Egyptian smart clothes, whether for sports or for medical uses, adding that exporting them would be very lucrative, as the profit margin is a lot bigger than that for ordinary clothes. He stressed that the electronic components used in the clothes would be at the Chamber's disposal. El-Gamal regrets that Egypt has not been able to fully exploit its cotton, perhaps the finest worldwide, calling for the establishment of a textiles ministry to develop a sector, which could be very profitable. Smart clothes, according to experts, are proving very useful for healthcare …quot; for example, they can measure the wearer's heartbeat and body temperature. Maged Mohamed told the magazine how a student of his, whose baby is prone to high temperatures, was inspired to design a T-shirt embedded with sensors that light up a small bulb whenever the child gets too hot. Researchers say the sky's the limit for e-clothing in the near future.
