Internet of Things and Augmented Reality in Textiles

 Internet of Things (IoT) is considered to be a pillar and one of the foremost drivers of Industry 4.0. IoT is expected to spread steadily over the coming years. It provides an approach to development that is more systematic, interlinked and holistic. It links physical to digital, enabling better communication and access through agencies, partners, suppliers, goods, and individuals. Industry 4.0 and IoT enables company owners to better monitor and understand every part of their business including production and enables them to exploit instant data to maximize efficiency, optimize processes and accelerate growth.

            Application of IoT in textile and apparel industries is still in the initial stage with pilot studies being conducted in different places. The literature shows that the concepts of IoT, Industry 4.0, Cyber Physical Systems (CPS), and Smart Manufacturing are interconnected and intertwined. A detailed discussion has been put forward in this regard by Manglani et al. ¹. According to the The German National Academy of Science and Engineering CPS are “automated systems that enable connection of the operations of the physical reality with computing and communication infrastructures. Compared to standard embedded systems that act as stand-alone units, CPS focuses on networking several devices, and provides information and service at every possible nodal location” ¹. Hence CPS can be considered to serve as building blocks of IoT. The IoT again enables the implementation or application of the concept of Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing. Thus IoT can be considered to serve a link between the CPS and Industry 4.0 leading to Smart Manufacturing – a complete implementation of which would result in increased connectivity, automated, linked and self-adjusting machines with limited human intervention.

            Another advancement in case of textiles and apparel is the introduction of Augmented Reality (AR). AR is a direct or indirect image of a real-world physical object augmented (or supplemented) by computer-generated components or sensory stimuli such as voice, video, images, or GPS data ². In the real world, AR technology can be applied whereby computer generated elements are projected onto physical objects and alternately can be overlaid on the physical subject. Textile substrates are meant to be used as devices or device bearers to project such images in the physical world, whereas in the case of apparels, AR is meant to generate virtual garments and wearables and project them onto users.

References

1. Manglani, H., Hodge, G. L. & Oxenham, W. Application of the Internet of Things in the textile industry. Text. Prog. 51, 225–297 (2019).

2. GOENKA, D. Interactive textile article and augmented reality system. (2016).