Sensory baby vest – a high-tech life-saving product

In cooperation with partners from the textile industry and the University of Tübingen, ITV Denkendorf has developed a baby vest for the comfortable and invisible monitoring of vital functions.

When entering an intensive care unit, visitors will soon realise that the monitoring of vital functions is a highly complex task. Processes from the acquisition of data, to their processing, interpretation and presentation in an easy to understand way require the integration of several different technologies. In order to achieve all that, such products integrate know-how from bio- and medical technology, process engineering, electronics and IT.

Sensory baby vest for the comfortable and invisible monitoring of vital functions.

At the ITV Denkendorf, an interdisciplinary team of researchers has been developing a special vest for babies. The sensory baby vest is equipped with sensors that enable the constant monitoring of vital functions. It is hoped to use this vest to prevent cot death and other life-threatening situations in babies.

The sensors are attached in a way that they do not pinch or disturb the baby when it is sleeping. Co-developer Hansjürgen Horter from the ITV was so convinced about the comfort of the baby vest that he used his own son to test the new system. As the photo shows, the little boy was quite happy with the new vest.

Safety and complacency are not contradictory

The appearance and handling of the sensory vest have also convinced care personnel and parents. “In fact it is a normal baby jump-suit. It can be washed and our skin compatibility tests have not shown any biological reaction to the textile of sensor materials,” said Horter. The technology is integrated into the textile structure and is therefore invisible from the outside. The unattractive vision of wired babies is thus avoided.

The sensory baby vest was initially developed for sick children and for those who are at particular health or life risk. In the long-term, it is planned to broaden the application range of the vest. Horter explained: “We regard the system as basic technology that can be used both in clinical conditions as well as in perfectly normal children’s rooms at home. It is also feasible for use with adults. Integrated into underwear, the system can, at least in principle, pick up vital parameters such as heart rate, skin temperature, breathing and amount of sweating.”

Sensory baby vest – open and closed.

Horter is coordinating the project at the ITV in cooperation with his colleague Carsten Linti. The two engineers can rely on many years of experience whose foundations were laid by the current institute director, Prof. Dr. Heinrich Planck, who established the area of biomedical engineering at the ITV in the 1970s. Planck himself also contributed significantly to the concept of the sensory baby vest.

Planck’s team exploits to the maximum the synergistic effects at the ITV. The natural scientists at the ITV contributed their knowledge to the project, as did textile engineers, process engineers, mechanical engineers, cybernetics experts and computer specialists. The scientists also keep in mind the broad application of their sensor technology, which also requires interdisciplinary knowledge and cooperation. For this reason, the ITV is also cooperating with other institutes and companies.

Josef Kanz GmbH is an important partner in the project. The children’s clothing manufacturer lent its experience and knowledge to the manufacture of the textile body of the baby vests. The company Gütermann provided conductive thread, as the signal transducers need to be insulated. This sounds quite trivial but is associated with several problems and intensive work was required to solve the problems so that weaving machines were able to process the material and the signal transducing threads.

Innovative and cheap

After three years of research, funded by the Industrieforschung foundation, the scientists succeeded in developing a prototype, which was awarded the Avantex Innovation Price in 2005. Ongoing clinical investigations will lead to the optimisation of the system and prepare it for specific use in hospitals. In these preparations, the ITV developers are cooperating closely with physicians at the University Children’s Hospital in Tübingen.

Horter estimates that the first sensory baby vests will be on the market within the next two years. The products – be they for use in hospitals or by private customers – will be marketed by the company Kanz, which is another partner in the project. The ITV itself is part of the sales and marketing team. The project partners are currently working hard on being able to sell the system as cheaply as possible. “For private use, the cost of the entire system, i.e. sensory baby vest plus monitoring and alarm device, will most likely amount to several hundred euros.


leh - 20th April 2006
© BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg GmbH

Further information:
ITV - Institute of Textile Technology and Process Engineering Denkendorf
Dipl.-Ing. Hansjürgen Horter
Körschtalstraße 26
73770 Denkendorf
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]

Biofibre Shirt Enters Mountain Sports Market

If you believe that cotton, flax and hemp are the only natural fibres that can be used to make clothes, you are wrong. A new fibre, called IngeoTM, not only promises comfortable to wear clothing but is also environmentally friendly.

Biofibre shirt captures the market for mountain sports clothing. Photo: Salewa

IngeoTM is a new synthetic fibre made from plant carbons, which has already established itself in the textile market. The fibre is made from polylactide (PLA). PLA is a biodegradable thermoplastic that is also used to produce cookware or packaging.

Polylactidesare a natural product – they are made from plants and are produced by a natural process. PLA production has hardly changed since the 19th century. The initial material used in the process is lactic acid. Plant sugars are fermented and turned into lactic acid that is then converted into polymers known as polylactide. This substance can be manufactured into a range of products. However, its suitability for outerwear remains to be seen.

Fabric or fleece made from PLA can be used in many areas. However, before plant polyesters can be accepted as a new class of materials, sufficient amounts of this 100% renewable material need to be produced and tested. The Institute for Polymer Technology (IKT) at the University of Stuttgart is working in co-operation with the Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e.V. to develop a specific process for the production of polylactide fleece. Together they aim to produce a sufficient amount of fleece for use in clothes, fabric, geotextiles (e.g. for the fixation of slopes) or filtration material. PLA fibres have long been established for use as absorbent surgical suture material. The biodegradability feature of the material will most likely not be so important in other applications. According to the IGT, the technical features of the new material are of greater interest for many applications.
The natural-based synthetic fibre has a considerable market volume. Germany is not only the biggest producer of PLA in Europe but also the largest consumer of fleece materials.


Source: Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e.V.

Innovative textiles made possible by biotechnology

Biotechnology is like an enormous “factory” which not only provides other industries with innovative ideas, but also supplies the appropriate know-how. Cheese production, golden rice, the manufacture of insulin and interferon, biosensors, enzymes in detergents - these are all examples of biotechnology in action, a sector that is constantly growing and expanding into other industrial sectors, a true driving force of interdisciplinary applications. The current topic of the month deals with the potential of biotechnology in the textile industry.

Modern biotechnology integrates the most diverse disciplines such as nutrition sciences, environmental technology and the textile industry. The close cooperation of the textile industry with biotechnology has, in recent years, led to many innovative projects. The textile industry is one of the oldest industrial sectors worldwide. Textile manufacture and textile research also have a long tradition in the southwest of Germany. 200 years ago, the first mechanical spinning factory was established in Baden. Today, with 30,000 people working in this field, the textile industry has become an important economic factor in Baden-Württemberg.

Up until the 20th century, textile production involved the exclusive use of natural fibres: cotton, hemp, flax, etc. The invention of synthetic fibres in the 20th century broadened the application range of textile materials enormously. Great improvements have been made in technical textiles since the 1980s which now account for approximately 40 percent of the entire textile production. Therefore, their huge innovation potential makes them the driving force in the growing textile industry.

The textile industry explores new fields

Specific interdisciplinary partnerships between the most diverse scientific fields enable the industry to combine several functionalities in one material. The new fabrics may be breathable, temperature-regulating, lightweight, shock-proof, water and dirt repellent and a lot more. It is, in particular, this multifunctionality which broadens the application of these modern fabrics, which, apart from being used as clothing, can be used in car manufacture, space technology, agriculture or biomedical technology.

The research of the “Functional Morphology and Biomimetics” project group at the University of Tübingen is an excellent example of the specific integration of different fields of science and experiences. Geoscientists at the University of Tübingen and textile researchers at the ITV Denkendorf have joined forces to develop textiles that automatically adapt wicking ability to the climate surrounding the wearer (see “The development of high-tech textiles is inspired by plants”).

Textiles in medicine

Innovative materials are also found in the field of medicine and many applications are possible, ranging from tissue engineering to wound dressings and implants. In the field of biomedical technology, biologists and engineers cooperate closely and develop biomaterials and implants as well as methods enabling the regeneration of tissue, for example resorbable, three-dimensional, shapeable fleeces in which the patients’ own cartilage cells can be grown (see "Competence network biomaterials").

New opportunities for modern textiles have also opened up in the treatment of wounds. In view of the growing number of elderly people and diabetics in modern society, the treatment of problematic wounds is a major application area of such textiles. In Germany alone, there are approximately 2 million patients every year suffering from severe and chronic wounds. Innovative medical textiles will no doubt play an important role in the treatment of wounds and skin in future. The integration of therapeutic substances turns textiles into innovative medical products (see: “Wound healing: biofunctional textiles doing the job of maggots”).

Intelligent technical textiles

What is known as 'intelligent technical textiles' is another interdisciplinary example of innovative textiles used in the field of health and safety. These are textiles with integrated microsystems used in clinical applications for measuring and monitoring of vital parameters such as blood pressure, pulse or breathing (see “Sensory baby vest – a high-tech life-saving product”).

Virtual design of new textiles

In the past, the development of new textile structures for innovative areas of application was based on real experiments involving all kinds of different fibre shapes and mixtures. Nowadays, the properties of the material can be determined in advance using computers. Specific properties can be tested in order to develop the best product possible. The Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics (ITWM) has developed a microstructure simulation technology enabling the calculation of the properties of highly-complex materials and the design of new textiles for application in medicine and hygiene (see "Microstructure simulations for the textile industry").

Better textiles inspired by nature

Textiles with lotus effect developed at the ITV Denkendorf (Photo: BIOPRO)

Through the course of evolution, nature has come up with surfaces to which dirt is unable to attach thanks to complex micro- and nanostructures. The self-cleaning effect of such extraordinary hydrophobic micro- and nanostructured plant surfaces was discovered and clarified by W. Barthlott at the University of Heidelberg in 1975. Now, engineers and technicians at the ITV Denkendorf are transferring what is known as 'the lotus effect' of plants to textile surfaces. The interest in the lotus effect is huge – not only for outdoor clothing and marquees, but also in medicine (see “Botany meets textile technology”).

Another innovative material is polylactide (PLA), which can be found in biodegradable catering dishes or packaging and which has become a popular material among clothing manufacturers. Polylactides are a natural product, made from plant carbons. In contrast to nylon and polyester fibres made from non-renewable petrol, PLA uses carbon that is absorbed by maize plants during photosynthesis from the air (see “Biofibre shirt enters mountain sports market”).

cz - 28th April 2006

Interdisciplinary approaches for innovations in the textile

Interdisciplinary approaches for innovations in the textile sector

At a time when the German textile industry is increasingly faced with competition from low-wage countries, innovations in the production, composition and application of new textiles may be able to create more stability in this sector. A growing proportion of new technologies in textile production and processing serve as a driving force behind innovation in high-tech textile products. New processes will lead to new products and hence to an expansion of the traditional textile industries, both in terms of supply and production.

Biotechnology is one of the technologies that could make a contribution to innovation. Biotechnology deals with research into cells, cell components, molecular and biological interactions as well as the exploitation of the findings gained. Biotechnology already has an enormous influence in many areas of our lives, even if this is not always directly apparent from the products we consume.

Textile: New processes will lead to new products. (Photo: BIOPRO)

In addition to this, at the interface between textile and biotechnology industries are synergies and products already jointly being developed for future markets. In the field of tissue engineering, for example, textile carrier materials are being optimised for their application in wound treatment. In the field of transplants, synthetic vessels can be coated with autologous vascular cells, thereby preventing rejection or a second vascular obliteration.

Information exchange leads to new applications

The majority of people are unaware of the ways in which biotechnological products can be used, in particular enzymes, which are heavily involved in textile production and finishing. For example, certain enzymes are used to soften cotton fibres. Nevertheless, it is possible to increase the awareness of end-users for the further applications of biotechnology. In order to identify potential synergies between the textile and biotechnology industries, further investigation in both areas needs to be done. It is only by identifying the demands and learning about the technologies used by the respective partners that future fields of application will be opened up.

As a starting point, both sectors need to be interested in potential applications. Then any relevant information must be provided before the final goal of putting business development deals in place can be achieved. This is the specific aim of BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg GmH - to use the enormous potential in the textile and biotechnology industry for boosting joint profit.

Bionics – biology as a model for technology

It fastens jackets, shoes and bags. It is practical, maybe even indispensable, and it is in fact the first bionic product to become world famous. We are talking about Velcro®. In the mid 1950s, Belgium scientists developed Velcro® from the seeds of the avens plant. Despite the popularity of the Velcro® fastener and although bionics is currently a hot topic, only insiders really seem to understand what “bionics” is all about. This scientific discipline takes findings and observations from biological research and transfers them to technical applications.

“Bionics” is a neologism, derived from the words “biology” and “mechanics”, although the more commonly recognised term is biomimetics, which is derived from the English words “biology” and “mimesis” (imitation). Within the next three years, the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) will provide funding of €60 million to bionics projects. The state of Baden-Württemberg has just decided to extend the funding period of the biomimetics competence network for another two years. Landesstiftung Baden-Württemberg is founding projects either.

The process of bionic development is a continuous procedure, without specifically defined areas where the biologist’s work ends and the engineer’s work begins. Using the giant reed (above) and the winter horsetail (below) as models, bionically inspired products such as the technical blade of grass were developed. (Figure: Plant Biomechanics Group Freiburg)

Bionics does not usually involve the direct transfer of an observation in nature to the development of a product, but rather it involves the creative implementation of biological concepts into technological products. Thomas Speck, Professor of Functional Morphology and Head of the Botanical Gardens at Freiburg University, likes to describe this process as “a ‘re-invention’ inspired by nature, usually going through several steps of abstraction and modification“. Bionics is considered to be an unusually strong interdisciplinary field of research, in which biologists, chemists, physicists, and engineers in particular join forces to conduct experiments and research. Experience shows that it is of great importance for biologists and engineers to work closely together throughout the entire process of development from the biological model to the bionically inspired market-ready product. “This is the only way we can guarantee the efficient transfer of research results to technical products along the entire value-added chain“, said the scientist from Freiburg (see also Freiburg BioRegion’s interview with Prof. Speck about the potential, innovative strength and the limits of bionics).

In many cases, it is not a single plant or a certain animal that inspires the bionics people in their work, but rather several models influence the development of a bionic product. For example, the winter horsetail Equisetum hyemale as well as the giant reed Arundo donax played key roles in the development of the “technical blade of grass“, a cooperation between the Plant Biomechanics Group Freiburg and the Institute of Textile Technology and Process Engineering Denkendorf (ITV) Denkendorf. But the engineers from the ITV Denkendorf are not only collaborating with the scientists from Freiburg; they are also working on developing textiles in collaboration with the “Functional Morphology and Biomimetics“ group at Tübingen University headed by Dr. Anita Roth-Nebelsick. These textiles will function like plant stomata, automatically adapting their wicking ability to the environmental micro-climate (see STERN BioRegion’s article).

The giant reed was one of the models for the mechanical blade of grass . (Photo: T. Speck)

All three of the aforementioned research groups and institutions are partners in the biomimetics competence network, which for the last three years has been financed and supported by the Ministry of Science, Research, and the Arts of the state of Baden-Württemberg. New members of the competence network are Prof. Claus Mattheck and his research group at the Research Centre in Karlsruhe and Dr. Stanislaw Gorb, head of the “Evolutionary Biomaterials Group“ group at the Max Planck Institute for Metals Research in Stuttgart. Mattheck uses the growth of trees as his model to minimize any notch stress when constructing technical devices. He uses bones to get ideas for constructing optimised shapes using as little material as possible (see the Rhine-Neckar Triangle BioRegion’s article).

Gorb, a biologist, is studying why flies, spiders and geckos are able to walk up glass without falling off. The pads of these animals are covered with the finest hairs which possess extremely high adhesive forces. Guided by this model, the scientists in Stuttgart are developing technical surfaces that have the same adhesive properties (see STERN BioRegion’s article).

The “Smart Materials Using Nature as a Model” research project has been part of the Baden-Württemberg competence network right from the beginning. This project aims to develop and produce self-repairing and self-adapting materials. Collaboration partners are the Plant Biomechanics Group Freiburg and the Swiss company, prospective concepts ag. In Summer 2005, the partners submitted a patent for a self-repairing membrane coating, based on the tear-repair mechanism of the pipevine. They were able to file the patent application after only three years of research (see Freiburg BioRegion’s article).

Such short periods of development are not really that common in the field of bionics. The aforementioned bionics researchers succeeded in gaining their results in such a short time as a result of concentrating all their efforts on a specific industry requirement. If the researchers focused on developing a technical product from a biological model this would generally take five to ten years.

Not only is much patience required for research and construction work, but some scientists also have to invest a great deal of time trying to convince their own colleagues of the usefulness of bionic principles – as was the case with the lotus effect. Wilhelm Barthlott, a botanist who discovered the self-cleansing ability of many plants, is a perfect example. He had to combat the scepticism of his colleagues for two years before he was finally able to publish his findings in a scientific journal. Many people found it difficult to believe that a rough surface cleanses itself more easily than a smooth surface. But nowadays the physical-chemical basis of the lotus effect is well known. Since the mid-90s, dirt-repelling, self-cleansing varnishes, paints and other surface materials are being produced in collaboration with different industrial partners.

kb – 13th Dec. 2005
© BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg GmbH

Biotechnology and mechanical engineering

Biotechnology and mechanical engineering: two different worlds

From:BioPro

Modern biotechnology has become an interdisciplinary technology that not only integrates food technology, pharmacy and medical engineering, but also now biotechnology. Biotechnology has entered classical fields of industry such as chemistry and mechanical engineering. The question is how can mechanical engineering benefit biotechnology and vice versa.

At first sight, mechanical engineering and biotechnology seem to be worlds apart. However, this is not the case at all. In fact, it is worth mentioning that, at many German universities, biotechnology courses usually come under the faculty of mechanical engineering. Classical biotechnology can trace its roots back to the field of engineering sciences. Biotechnology creates new products and methods that are made possible with new mechanical or systems engineering methods. The variety of biotechnological processes has led to a similarly high number of different systems and plants that would not have been possible without classical mechanical engineering.

(Photo: MTU)

No biotechnology without mechanical engineering

The complete process chain of biotechnology can be mapped out using mechanical engineering: Highly parallel robotic systems are used for the identification of new drugs and for the screening of microorganisms. Cell cultivation involves different reactor types and a complex infrastructure of tubing, pumps, valves, sensors and process control elements. The products thus generated are further processed using different separation and purification methods. And finally, the resultant pure substances are bottled and packaged using automated systems. There are examples of many other fields in which biotechnology is applied, for example, environmental protection and food production. However, there is no biotechnology without mechanical engineering – and the whole field still has huge, undiscovered potential.

Biotechnological evolution in mechanical engineering

In the course of evolution, a highly diverse and flexible world of microorganisms developed from the first primordial cells. Many organisms live under extreme environmental conditions and are equipped to tackle any kind of problem. It is worthwhile further exploiting the enormous potential these natural helpers have for industrial societies. Biotechnology has been known for thousands of years; the fermentation processes originally used in the production of food have since been further developed to produce highly effective recombinant pharmaceuticals. But it is difficult to see how it is possible for biotechnology to be used to remove rust from metals? What else may be possible?

Potential of biotechnology

Biotechnological processes involve the composition, modification and decomposition of material using living organised systems. Mechanical engineering also deals with these topics. For example, bionics is a bridge between natural construction principles and mechanical engineering. Examples of bionic development are the production of light but stable working parts and better hydro- and aerodynamics. Mechanical engineering also concerns the modification and protection of surfaces. Microorganisms grow on surfaces and modify the structure of such surfaces. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this nanoscale interaction and how can new materials be generated? Is it possible to convert cellular production processes into mechanical engineering processes? Can biological systems be used as examples for micro- and nanomachines? Biotechnology is already used in mechanical engineering. Biolubricants, produced from renewable resources, can not only be degraded biologically, but also have better qualities than traditional lubricants. More than 450 different biolubricants and hydraulic oils are already on the market.

BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg: furthering potential development

In the field of interdisciplinary applications, BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg aims to advance the dialogue between the different fields by putting experts from industry, research and education in active contact with each other. The innovative potential of biotechnology for the classical industries is far from being exhausted and represents an interesting field for diversification and growth.

GM buys into cellulosic ethanol

By STAFF REPORT

The news that the world’s largest car maker, General Motors, has invested in biology-based renewable energy company Coskata came as no great surprise to those who’ve been following GM’s courtship with the biofuels industry.

After working alongside ethanol producers to develop fuel formulations aimed at providing optimum performance in vehicle engines, GM began promoting ethanol more than 20 years ago. It was the first manufacturer to enable its entire U.S. fleet to operate on E10.

Globally, GM has about 3.5 million flex-fuel vehicles on the road in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Brazil. About 2.5 million of them are capable of running on any percentage of petrol and ethanol – up to 85 percent of the biofuel.

GM has long held the belief that ethanol used as a fuel – not just as a petrol additive – is the best near-term alternative to the surging global demand for oil. The company has a stated aim to reinvent the car through a range of clean transport technologies that reduce CO2 emissions and petroleum use.

The decision to buy a stake in Coskata comes as GM sets out to ensure a steady supply for the flex-fuel, ethanol-capable vehicles it is producing.

Coskata, founded in 2006 by leading renewable energy investors and entrepreneurs, has developed a commercially viable process to bring cellulosic ethanol to the market in 2011.

It has the means to produce the “next generation” ethanol from virtually any carbon-containing feedstock – including woodchips, municipal garbage and plant waste – for less than $US1 a gallon – about half the cost of producing petrol.

Coskata’s three-step process starts with carbon-based materials being converted into synthesis gas (syngas) by using well-established gasification technologies. After the chemical bonds are broken using gasification, micro-organisms convert the resulting syngas into ethanol by consuming carbon monoxide and hydrogen in the gas stream. Once the gas-to-liquid conversion process has occurred, the resulting ethanol is recovered from the solution using vapour permeation technology.

The company’s Vice President of Business Development, Wes Bolsen said the process addressed many of the constraints lodged against current renewable energy options including environmental, transportation and land-use concerns.

“The Coskata process has the potential to yield more than 100 gallons (378.5 litres) of ethanol per dry ton of carbonaceous feedstock – reducing costs to less than $1 per gallon,” he said.

The process is based on research and technology developed by Oklahoma State University’s Biofuels Team and licensed exclusively to Coskata.

GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner announced the company’s investment in Coskata at January’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

“General Motors is very excited about what this breakthrough will mean to the viability of biofuels and, more importantly, to the company’s ability to reduce dependence on petroleum,” he told a news conference.

“This could lead to joint efforts in markets such as China, where growing energy demand and a new energy research centre could jumpstart a significant effort into ethanol made from biomass. There is no question in my mind that making ethanol more widely available is absolutely the most effective and environmentally sound solution – and it’s one that can be acted on immediately.”

Two hours after GM announced the partnership to produce ethanol from non-food sources, arch rival Toyota declared it was also involved in research to derive ethanol from wood.