As Novac writes on the 18th of January, 2020, at the Faculty of Textile Technology in Zagreb, professors and students have designed and patented so-called smart clothing. Among the smart clothing is a jacket that feels and thinks for you, according to a report from Zimo.
”It is no different from ordinary clothing, but when you look inside you can see the built-in chambers that are thermo-insulating,” explains Dr. Dubravko Rogale.
These chambers regulate heat by blowing in or blowing out air. Everything is controlled by a pocket-sized computer. This means that you can choose the temperature you like, regardless of the outside temperature.
This is a seemingly ordinary-looking jacket, but it’s far more than that. It contains a smart sleeve that has a mechanism that tells people with dementia to wake up, eat breakfast, take a pill… and anything else that can help them and make their lives a little bit easier.
Commands – both audible and visual, can be sent to the jacket by a mobile phone or by a computer by a doctor or guardian. A built-in GPS system is available to help find a person if he or she goes astray. This type of smart clothing can also be used by children.
”For example, there can be a circle within which the child can be, if the child leaves the circle, an alert can be sent to the child’s parents, that the child has left wherever the circle is, and that the child is located here or there,” says Snježana Firšt Rogale .
Smart pajamas, which could prevent sudden infant death and also help those suffering from apnea, are the latest invention of this innovative Croatian team.
”The textile sensor sends us a signal to us that the baby is breathing. At the moment when the baby stops breathing there is no signal and then it will send an alarm through the microprocessor to the person in charge,” emphasises Željko Knezić.
Prototype wires will be replaced by wireless technology.
One of the many inventions made in this lab is a smart bag that protects against theft. It works in a way that when someone unlocks the bag without the owner noticing, the bracelet on the arm instantly alerts the owner with vibrations and light. There is also a cycling jacket with turn signals.
This talented team isn’t lacking in the smart clothing idea department and they mostly finance the projects themselves. So far, 72 medals for innovation have been won in Croatia and across the world. In order for these patents not only to remain on models, they need partners to commercialise them.
Make sure to follow our Made in Croatia page for much more.
