The world’s armies on the way of introducing forms of “smart” tissues: from virus protection to energy storage
It is assumed that the "smart" form will massively begin to appear in the armies of different countries in the coming 7-10 years. Now, several countries are engaged in the development of Hi-Tech fabric and clothing based on it.
Conventionally, “smart” tissues can be divided into several types:
1. Passive. In this case, the material only collects and transfers information for subsequent actions to the user.
2. Active. In this case, the HiTech fabric not only receives information, but also responds, part of the data is transmitted to a personal computer, which gives a signal to work out the functionality according to a given algorithm.
3. Interactive. “Smart tissue” not only collects information, but also reacts and adapts in accordance with external changes. In particular, body armor and protective plates created using these technologies will be able to restore their strength characteristics during battle. Or the uniform material can solidify, creating, for example, a tire for a broken limb.
There are many demands on “smart tissue”
To the promising form of the new generation several serious requirements are presented at once. For example, it, on the one hand, will be “breathing”, but on the other, it is designed to protect against dangers such as viruses and chemical weapon. What are the reasons for such requirements?
First of all, modern suits of biochemical protection are an extremely inconvenient form for the battlefield. They are bulky, hermetically sealed. The body of a soldier sweats profusely due to the last factor. Related equipment is also not very convenient. Overheating, exhaustion ... The effectiveness of the troops operating in such vestments is reduced due to the fatigue of the soldiers, their distraction for domestic inconvenience.
The solution to this problem is protective equipment that “breathes”: it passes air and, in particular, allows you to divert water vapor. As a result, sweat, the main cooling mechanism of the human body, can evaporate. However, the mechanism should block chemical and biological agents. And this is where the so-called technologies come into play. "Second skin." But this technology is in fact only one of the elements of more revolutionary changes in modern form. We are talking about carbon nanotube based fabric.
Width - less than 5 nanometers
Carbon is one of the most popular and well-known "building materials" in chemistry. In particular, organic chemistry is largely based on the use of this particular element of the periodic table.
However, it is precisely because of their ability to perform the functions of pipelines, writes Ann M. Stark of Livermore National Laboratory. Lawrence (University of Berkeley, USA), researchers are developing tissue with membranes, which include carbon nanotubes.
- says Stark: her words are quoted by news.com.ua.
In addition, technology companies specializing in aerospace and global security (such as Northrop Grumman) are actively funding research in this area together with academic and government laboratories.
The use of carbon nanotubes is not limited to “second skin” technology; developers see their widespread use in other innovations, including flexible electronics, the production of advanced aerospace components, and even the potential development of space elevators.
Carbon has long attracted scientists
The carbon potential has long attracted scientists; they managed to get their first real nanotubes in 1991. Constructed from bound carbon atoms, using appropriate technologies, tubes can serve as the main material, the pores of which are only several times larger than the diameter of individual atoms.
Even viruses are too bulky to penetrate such tissue. At the same time, air and water vapor pass so freely that the fabric “breathes” better than popular commercial fabrics like Gore-Tex.
At the same time, chemical agents are more compact and can slip even through a nanotube. The solution is to make nanotubes smart by providing them with functional groups of molecules that will act as gatekeepers to block the threat. According to Livermore Quang Team Leader Jen Wu, the fabric “will look like smart second skin that responds to the environment. ”: hence the name mentioned above.
- emphasizes Jen Wu.
Similar material was developed by the United Science and Technology Bureau of the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency. The Pentagon announced the possible appearance of a new smart tissue in December 2016: information about this was published by the Forces Network portal.
The use of nanotubes also gives other interesting prospects. In particular, the equipment of a soldier of the future suggests that flexible smart elements will be built into the form, diagnosing the state of the soldier’s health in real time. In addition, scientists are looking for ways to facilitate promising combat systems by integrating their elements into uniforms. In particular, they are interested in the opportunity to get rid of wires and provide both high-speed data transfer and power supply for electronics. Nanocarbon tubes are the best suited for the development of flexible processors. However, not only on them is the interest of researchers focused.
John Ho, associate professor at the Institute of Innovation and Technology in Health at National University of Singapore (NUS) and NUS Engineering, told Futurity about how his team managed to create smart tissue that can be used as a signal conductor for several wearable devices at the same time. The article was published on 29 this July.
Currently, most devices use Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for wireless communications. However, these technologies quickly discharge the electronics, which is unacceptable for soldiers in combat. The U.S. Army estimates that the cost of battery chargers such as ammunition can exceed the cost of ammunition for small arms, since the missions prefer to replace any batteries with completely new ones on missions.
Metamaterials
To create a new Hi-Tech fabric in Singapore, the so-called metamaterials were used. Artificially created and possessing a negative refractive index, they have unique electrical, magnetic, optical and other properties.
Metamaterials are capable of creating so-called “Surface waves” that can provide data transmission with 1000 times less power than modern protocols. In addition, the transmission of such a signal is less vulnerable to hacking - information "travels" in 10 cm from the body - in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi it can "fly" to a distance of several tens of meters.
Created “smart” clothes are very durable. It can be folded and bent with minimal loss in signal strength, and the conductive stripes can even be cut or torn without restricting wireless capabilities. Garments can also be washed, dried and ironed just like regular clothes.
Such an intelligent form can be effectively used to monitor the health and health of a fighter, reduce the sound level in headphones, print messages. A patent has already been registered for it, and a tissue sample has been created.
The most interesting thing is that this technology can be used together with existing uniform samples. A laser is used for cutting and sewing. And the conductive material itself, the strips of which are attached from the inside to the uniform by means of fabric glue, is cheap. It costs around a few dollars per linear meter and can be supplied in rolls for use in industrial production.
The previously mentioned carbon has another known form: graphene. If the nanotubes are in the form of a framework, then graphene is flat. It consists of carbon atoms forming a lattice. For its opening, graduates of Russian universities Andrei Geim and Konstantin Novoselov received the Nobel Prize. Using graphene, scientists from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, have been able to develop a cost-effective and scalable method for the quick manufacture of textilesinto which energy storage devices are integrated.
The next generation of smart waterproof fabrics will be laser printed and manufactured in minutes. This is the future that the researchers behind the new technologies for developing electronic textiles represent. Already at the experimental stage, in three minutes the method allows you to create a sample of intellectual fabric measuring 10x10 cm. The fabric is waterproof, stretches and is easily integrated with energy storage technologies.
Laser instead of a seamstress
The technology allows using laser printing to apply graphene supercapacitors directly to textiles. They are powerful and durable batteries that can be easily combined with solar or other energy sources. In the future, the method makes it possible to quickly create smart textiles in rolls.
Dr. Litti Tekkakara, a researcher at the RMIT School of Science, emphasizes that smart textiles with integrated sensing, wireless technology or health monitoring require powerful and reliable energy solutions.
- commented on the situation Tekkakara magazine Science Daily at the end of August of this year.
By solving the tasks associated with storing energy in electronic textiles, we hope to create a new generation of wearable technology and Hi-Tech uniforms.
At the moment, with the help of research, it was proved that this material showed resistance to various temperatures and washing, its properties remain stable.
The concept has been publicly discussed since the beginning of the 2000's
Trials of the "smart" form began a long time ago. The concept for its use was published in 2005, and in April 2012 of the year, the British company Intelligent Textiles from Surrey showed a promising form at an event organized by the Center for Defense Enterprises (CDE). The company has patented a number of techniques for weaving complex conductive fabrics. Electronic fabric can provide uniforms with a single central source of power and transmission, eliminating most bulky cables and wires.
The system allows you to transfer data and electricity even if the fabric is damaged - this is its difference from the technologies that use cables.
Asha Thompson, director of Intelligent Textiles, said in an interview with BBC News.
The company then received about 240 000 pounds for the further development of technology. The company also developed a fabric keyboard for use with a laptop computer, which was planned to integrate with the uniform.
The global market for smart fabrics is growing
The report Market Research Future, giving a forecast for this sector of the market before 2023, it is noted that by the indicated time the world market of intelligent fabrics for military use will exceed the mark of 1,7 billion US dollars.
According to analysts, the United States works most in this direction, but Asian countries such as India and China are ready to invest considerable funds in this sector.
Russia is developing
Russia is also not ready to stay away. Star TV channel reports on the use of intelligent fabrics in the set of promising equipment of the Russian "soldier of the future" Ratnik-2. In particular, aramid fabric impregnated with a special composition from Kamenskvolokno JSC is used in the mold. About this in his material about the new equipment I told TV channel "Star".
Rostec introduced the chameleon material in the 2018 year, and a revised version in the 2019 year. This fabric is able to imitate the landscape - this material covered the helmet of the “Warrior”. For effective camouflage of a fighter or equipment, a few watts of electricity is enough for the material. Responsible for the development of engineers from the Research Technological Institute "Technomash."
For the Arctic, the Advanced Research Foundation (FPI) has developed a special material that can accumulate heat during physical exertion and then release it back. This fabric is capable of surpassing existing foreign materials in 3-5 times in terms of stored energy. This was announced by the director of the fund Andrei Grigoryev in a comment by TASS 9 on July 2019. The fabric was created using the technology of producing ultra-thin fibers using electrospinning.
In addition, Russian scientists managed to develop smart materials similar to those described at the beginning of the article: they allow air and water vapor to pass through, but retain aerosol particles. The FPI said that work on the fabric is being carried out jointly with the Saratov State University.
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