Development of electronic textiles for U.S. military protective clothing systems

The focus of this paper is on the development of a wearable electronic network that provides data and power transport. A materials and manufacturing survey was conducted to determine the best performing and most durable materials to withstand the rigors of textile manufacturing and potential military use. Narrow woven technology was selected as the most appropriate manufacturing method. A working wearable narrow fabric version of the Universal Serial Bus (USB) was successfully developed and fabricated as well as related wearable connectors. Military products developed include a personal area network and body borne antenna.