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I-THREAD Lab

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.

Head of Group

Dr. Liyun Ma

B434 Bessemer Building
South Kensington Campus

+44(0)7902009591

What we do

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.

Why it is important?

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.

How can it benefit patients?

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.

Meet the team

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Masters and undergraduate students

Jinan Kang, MEng, Department of Mechanical Engineering (2025–2026)
Junkai Wang, MSc, Department of Bioengineering (2025–2026)
Zewei Yan, MRes, Department of Surgery and Cancer / Hamlyn Centre (2025–2026)
Chen Zhe, MRes, Department of Surgery and Cancer / Hamlyn Centre (2025–2026)
Lifan Xuan, MRes, Department of Surgery and Cancer / Hamlyn Centre (2025–2026)

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