Magic carpets and remote controlled sofas unveiled

Touch sensitive fabric launched by Brunel University...

Fancy a pair of trainers which measure your running speed and play different music depending on your pace? Or a carpet which can tell if an elderly person has fallen over and can call for help? These are just some of the potential applications of a sensory fabric technology being unveiled today by researchers at Brunel University. The single-layer fabric is sensitive to pressure but can be used - and feels - like an ordinary fabric. Created with electronically conductive textiles, the fabric is interwoven with switches and sensors which measure or respond to the position, shape or pressure of physical contact, allowing it to identify and respond to human touch. According to inventors Asha Peta Thompson and Dr Stan Swallow, the product will catch on quicker than earlier prototypes because it is easy and cheap to manufacture. Designed to detect the position of a physical contact to within one millimetre, the easy-to-use fabric has a lifespan of over 100,000 operations. Other potential uses include 'smart' bandages and clothes which can tell injured patients how best to sit, TV remote controls built into cushions and sofas, and a whole range of reactive toys.