Performance Evaluation of Conductive Textiles for Movement Pattern Recognition in Smart Socks

The recent development of conductive fibers and elastomers has made it possible to realize more embedded sensor fabrics and their use in so-called smart textiles. These textiles can, for example, act as an interface, display information with led strips or monitor general health related parameters with embedded sensors. This generally means more comfort and a better user experience.This paper compares several conductive textiles and evaluates their ability to sense movement when used in socks. Motion information is derived from the distribution and displacement of the body's center of gravity, while the center of gravity is determined by the distribution of pressure at protruding points of the foot.Small spots of piezoresistive textiles are sewn onto the underside of commercially available socks to measure the pressure distribution. These strips must meet several criteria to ensure accuracy and consistency over several test iterations. Factors such as the charge or discharge curve, humidity disturbance and the surface or shape of the strip were investigated. Finally, a proof of concept in the form of a prototype is presented.