Odysseus

Within the SFI-funded Adaptive Information cluster (AIC), we have been developing a line of research based around integrating chemical and biometric sensors, into wearable clothing. This has already led to the development of several garments for general use, for healthcare monitoring, and for sports.

In this project we outline a return back to the basic chemistry needed to develop chemo/bio sensors for garments. Although this is essential an analytical science rather than a computer science project, it integrates with another project, Project 2606-DCU, which is one of the application projects, to develop new wearables

In this project, the student will work on ways of controlling fluid (gas, liquid) movement across membranes and surfaces including electrochemical (e.g. using conducting polymers like polythiophene or polypyrrole) and photonic (e.g. using photo-switchable materials like spiropyrans). These materials, when coated onto suitable substrates, can be used to control the wettability of surfaces, and the ability of fluids to pass though membranes or porous substrates. This in turn can be integrated into wearable fabrics to control the interaction with water or other fluids from the outside or from the inside and has great impact on the breathability of the resulting overall fabric. Such control is vital for the integration of sensing capabilities into wearables, as the analytical targets are almost always found in association with water, or in the gaseous state. Hence it provides a means for turning on/off access to the target molecules (sampling), which enables the signal to be modulated, i.e. the material can control the sampling behaviour. This may provide a means to introduce calibration of embedded chemical sensors in wearables, which is necessary for accurate measurements, but extremely difficult to implement in an innocuous manner (i.e. as part of the inherent fabric/textile characteristics, as opposed to attaching reagent packs).

This position is already in place and funded, and the candidate has been identified for Summer 2006. The project forms part of a concerted research effort into the development of wearables with integrated chemical sensing capabilities and combines with project 2606-DCU at the AIC/DCU and with one of the wearables project proposals at AIC/UCD (project 2006-UCD).

Relevance of Project to the Host Laboratories:

The research group of Prof. Diamond has been responsible for development of chemo and bio sensing technology which has led to the development of several wearable garment interfaces for pervasive computing within the AIC. This project, and the sister project 2606, will help to address the breathability of the fabrics used within the wearables we develop, making them appropriate for sports and other physically demanding applications.

Supervisors:

Prof. Dermot Diamond, (AIC, DCU)

Keywords:

Chemical sensing, wearable computing, analytical science.