Current vehicles are not yet equipped with all the artificial intelligence needed to interact with the driver and assess his ability to drive his vehicle or his condition, but we are getting closer and closer.
The connected car industry is forecasting a cumulated annual growth rate of 96% for the next 6 years and global market estimates of more than US $ 1 trillion by 2023.
These innovations are not limited to private vehicles on the contrary, they can affect different kind of transport, including public transport which will then benefit from added value for passengers.
One of the best-known multinational groups around the world: Thales Canada, has decided to focus in a development of this type of technology, to meet specific needs in the transport market. For this project, they decided to count with the experience in research and development of the CTT Group.
To begin with this project, the team had a first challenge. They already had the experience of sensors used in other markets such as clothing or health, where the sensors are in direct contact with the individual’s skin. But in this case, the need for this specific development indicated that the sensors had to read through different layers of clothing. “To meet this challenge, we used volumetric conductive materials in combination with piezoresistive materials to take advantage of 3-axis sensitivity,” said Justine Decaens, Technology Innovation Director – Intelligent Textiles at CTT Group.
A second challenge was the creation of the interface for the data processor of these sensors. For this step, the team of Thales and CTT Group started from scratch to do research for this topic, and develop a tailor-made solution.
There are still some barriers to eliminate, such as the cost of the system and to do public education for the use of this type of development. Today, integrate a seat like the one that was developed with Thales into a standard vehicle is not so simple. There is a need to improve mass production and conquer markets where this type of product is particularly interesting. Applications can be of any kind and at CTT Group we are ready to bring our expertise and experience to the service of the textile industry.
This will be the subject of the conference of Justine Decaens, Innovation and Technology Director – Intelligent Textiles at the 7th Edition of International Conference on Smart Textiles and Mass Customization, from 13 to 15 November in Marrakech.