In this section
The long-term vision of the Intelligent Textiles for Health Research, Engineering, Augmentation, and Design Lab (I-THREAD Lab) is to revolutionise and pioneer advanced textiles for Health, Sustainability, and Beyond through transdisciplinary strategies.
The I-THREAD Laboratory focuses on developing and applying flexible devices for human-oriented applications through multidisciplinary, multiscale, and AI-assisted engineering approaches. Our research includes intelligent wearable devices for monitoring applications, closed-loop diagnostic and therapeutic biomedical systems, functional and smart textiles (including electronic fibers, intelligent yarns and fabrics, silk protein materials, and biomedical textiles), augmented sensing technologies powered by AI for human-robot interaction, renewable energy harvesting devices, and large-scale fabrication and manufacturing technologies for producing textile devices.
As global challenges in healthcare and sustainability continue to intensify, the integration of intelligent textiles with multidisciplinary technologies offers transformative opportunities to address these critical issues. Our research focuses on the development of advanced wearable devices and closed-loop biomedical systems, designed to provide accessible and cost-effective personalized healthcare solutions. Beyond advancing healthcare innovation, our work also contributes to the design of renewable energy harvesting systems, aligning with the urgent need for environmental sustainability. By leveraging scalable manufacturing techniques, we aim to deliver impactful, bench-to-bedside solutions that benefit both society and technological progress.
Our work aims to benefit patients by enabling continuous health monitoring, accurate diagnostics, and personalized therapies through intelligent wearable devices and close-loop biomedical systems. These innovations improve treatment outcomes, enhance patient comfort, and reduce the burden on traditional healthcare systems. By integrating renewable energy solutions, we also ensure sustainable and cost-effective medical devices. Additionally, our augmented sensing technologies support advanced rehabilitation and assistive systems, enhancing interactions among surgeons, patients, and robotic systems to improve healthcare outcomes.
Mr Tinghao Hu
Research Postgraduate
Dr Liyun Ma
Assistant Professor
Miss Jewelina Wen
Research Postgraduate
Miss Junni Zhang
Research Postgraduate
@article{Shen:2026:10.1039/d6nr00156d,
author = {Shen, S and Zhang, J and Ma, L},
doi = {10.1039/d6nr00156d},
journal = {Nanoscale},
title = {Recent advancements in textile-based flexible electronics: a comprehensive review.},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d6nr00156d},
year = {2026}
}
TY - JOUR
AB - Flexible electronic textiles (e-textiles) have emerged as a key class of wearable systems by integrating electronic functionality with the intrinsic advantages of textile materials, such as breathability, flexibility, lightweight nature, and conformability to complex surfaces. However, the effective integration of diverse textile manufacturing technologies with advanced electronic components remains a critical challenge. This review systematically discusses in detail the formation methods of fibers, yarns, and fabrics in relation to their specific structures, followed by a comprehensive overview of the advancements of e-textile fabrication techniques, emphasizing on representative examples across different scales of textile-based electronic architectures. Furthermore, key applications of e-textiles in sensing, energy harvesting and storage, actuation, and human-machine interfaces are reviewed. Finally, current challenges and future perspectives for fabricating flexible e-textiles are discussed, aiming to provide insights and guidance for the rational design of next-generation wearable electronic systems.
AU - Shen,S
AU - Zhang,J
AU - Ma,L
DO - 10.1039/d6nr00156d
PY - 2026///
TI - Recent advancements in textile-based flexible electronics: a comprehensive review.
T2 - Nanoscale
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d6nr00156d
UR - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/42301109
ER -
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