NUS scientists develop world's first washable touchscreen woven into clothing

NUS announced the innovation on Oct. 22, one day after the research was published in the scientific journal Nature.

The prototype, built into the sleeve of a garment, can display photos, play videos, run a calculator, function as a compass and respond to voice commands. It can also receive images from other devices via Bluetooth.

Built-in sensors allow the sleeve to measure body temperature, detect movement and automatically adjust screen brightness. The display also supports multiple simultaneous touches, allowing users to interact with it using their fingers.

To test its durability, the researchers washed the garment 50 times in a conventional washing machine with detergent and bent it 1,000 times. According to NUS, the screen's brightness and touch sensitivity remained almost unchanged after the tests. The fabric was also found to be as breathable as common clothing materials, including cotton, polyester and denim.

The research team, led by Assistant Professor Tural Khudiyev from NUS's College of Design and Engineering, developed special electronic fibers that can display images and respond to touch. Each fiber is about one millimeter thick and contains 96 tiny lights. The researchers wove 54 of these fibers into a sleeve, creating a touchscreen measuring approximately 17 by 11 centimeters.

The screen can display images and play videos, although its picture quality is considerably lower than that of a smartphone. When a user touches the fabric, built-in sensors detect the contact and allow the screen to respond, much like a conventional touchscreen.

The researchers believe the technology could eventually allow people to control digital devices and monitor their health directly through their clothing. For example, future garments could continuously track a wearer's physical condition and display the information on the fabric without requiring a separate screen.

"Healthcare is one particularly promising application," Khudiyev said in the NUS announcement. "A garment could continuously collect physiological information through fibre-based sensors and allow the wearer to access and interact with that information directly through their clothing."

He added that combining the technology with artificial intelligence could eventually enable personalized health monitoring and assistance. The researchers are now working to improve the screen's picture quality and incorporate more advanced sensors and AI capabilities.

The technology remains at the research stage, and NUS has not announced when clothing featuring the touchscreen could become commercially available.