US entrepreneur embeds SansEC sensors in tech textiles
July 09, 2016 - United States Of America
Sensing the immense potential of sensors that can detect moisture, temperature and movement from electromagnetic vibrations in air, an American entrepreneur has tied up with NASA (National Aeronautical Space Agency) to weave its SansEC technology in various fabrics and paper to translate the technology into a common everyday thing.
No sooner than Susan Bernard, owner of Textile Instruments LLC saw the SansEC (without electrical connection) at the NASA Tech Days event in Cleveland than she got hooked to it.
It's a sensor that functions using electromagnetic vibrations in the air. The sensor itself, there is no need to plug it in or use batteries, according to an article on NASA website.
With various embroidery techniques and a multitude of fabrics, the sensors can be virtually added to existing materials, uniforms or weaved directly, creating a highly resonant sensor at a low cost with no additional weight.
Bernard and her small company in Perrysburg, Ohio, are incorporating SansEC sensors into textile products — things made of cloth and paper. A SansEC sensor, she said, can be small enough to become a virtually undetectable part of the fabric in clothing, bedding, or diapers, for example.
"They were describing sensor technology," recalled Bernard, who at the time had a five-month-old son. 'I was able to connect with the sensor characteristics, and on the spot I said, we can translate this technology to a common, everyday thing.’
Soon her company Textile Instruments LLC became a NASA licensee for the SansEC technology. The company, that employs four persons including herself, has already made a prototype blanket.
"We're able to detect moisture, temperature, and movement," Bernard said adding that R&D was working on making the sensor read heart rate.
The challenge, pointed Bernard, is to find uses for the sensors and create viable products that a consumer would use on daily basis. Venture-capital firms she was in touch with indicated that they were looking for real prototypes. “There is a demand for hardware and we have a viable path to produce them," Bernard said.
Robert Donley, Textile Instruments chief technology officer, said "our next step is to work on making advancements in the technology to bring it closer to the consumer's reach.We see an exciting passive wireless vital signs detection system on the horizon with applications in the healthcare, sportswear, and military markets."
He said future developments would be centered around improving the mobility and cost of the system, as well as long-range operation, reducing hardware package size and cost, and developing software to allow system data to be read and displayed on mobile platforms.
"It's a very simple thing – and it's so simple, it's easy to miss the power of it," said Ken Dudley, a researcher in the Electromagnetics and Sensors Branch at NASA's Langley Research Center who is involved with SansEC.
Originally developed by NASA Langley researcher Stanley Woodard, who passed away in 2011, SansEC can simultaneously measure different physical phenomena — temperature and fluid level, for example — and functions even when badly damaged.
A remote antenna "interrogates" the sensor and collects the measurements. Woodard initially imagined using the sensor on space systems, such as inflatable habitats or the Mars airplane.
Dudley is part of a team using SansEC sensors that is studying the effects of lightning strikes on composite materials like the ones used on modern aircraft.
The team is also trying to use the sensors to develop a smart skin that would sense and direct lightning to a safe point on an aircraft, or even prevent lightning from ever touching it.
Other possible uses of SansEC sensor technology, according to NASA, could be in wells or pipelines to check out water levels, iron or salinity, blockages, leaks or pipe integrity. They could be also placed in the floors to detect motion for safety and security or be used to monitor ice and snow accumulation. (SH)
No sooner than Susan Bernard, owner of Textile Instruments LLC saw the SansEC (without electrical connection) at the NASA Tech Days event in Cleveland than she got hooked to it.
It's a sensor that functions using electromagnetic vibrations in the air. The sensor itself, there is no need to plug it in or use batteries, according to an article on NASA website.
With various embroidery techniques and a multitude of fabrics, the sensors can be virtually added to existing materials, uniforms or weaved directly, creating a highly resonant sensor at a low cost with no additional weight.
Bernard and her small company in Perrysburg, Ohio, are incorporating SansEC sensors into textile products — things made of cloth and paper. A SansEC sensor, she said, can be small enough to become a virtually undetectable part of the fabric in clothing, bedding, or diapers, for example.
"They were describing sensor technology," recalled Bernard, who at the time had a five-month-old son. 'I was able to connect with the sensor characteristics, and on the spot I said, we can translate this technology to a common, everyday thing.’
Soon her company Textile Instruments LLC became a NASA licensee for the SansEC technology. The company, that employs four persons including herself, has already made a prototype blanket.
"We're able to detect moisture, temperature, and movement," Bernard said adding that R&D was working on making the sensor read heart rate.
The challenge, pointed Bernard, is to find uses for the sensors and create viable products that a consumer would use on daily basis. Venture-capital firms she was in touch with indicated that they were looking for real prototypes. “There is a demand for hardware and we have a viable path to produce them," Bernard said.
Robert Donley, Textile Instruments chief technology officer, said "our next step is to work on making advancements in the technology to bring it closer to the consumer's reach.We see an exciting passive wireless vital signs detection system on the horizon with applications in the healthcare, sportswear, and military markets."
He said future developments would be centered around improving the mobility and cost of the system, as well as long-range operation, reducing hardware package size and cost, and developing software to allow system data to be read and displayed on mobile platforms.
"It's a very simple thing – and it's so simple, it's easy to miss the power of it," said Ken Dudley, a researcher in the Electromagnetics and Sensors Branch at NASA's Langley Research Center who is involved with SansEC.
Originally developed by NASA Langley researcher Stanley Woodard, who passed away in 2011, SansEC can simultaneously measure different physical phenomena — temperature and fluid level, for example — and functions even when badly damaged.
A remote antenna "interrogates" the sensor and collects the measurements. Woodard initially imagined using the sensor on space systems, such as inflatable habitats or the Mars airplane.
Dudley is part of a team using SansEC sensors that is studying the effects of lightning strikes on composite materials like the ones used on modern aircraft.
The team is also trying to use the sensors to develop a smart skin that would sense and direct lightning to a safe point on an aircraft, or even prevent lightning from ever touching it.
Other possible uses of SansEC sensor technology, according to NASA, could be in wells or pipelines to check out water levels, iron or salinity, blockages, leaks or pipe integrity. They could be also placed in the floors to detect motion for safety and security or be used to monitor ice and snow accumulation. (SH)