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Review Essays of Academic, Professional & Technical Books in the Humanities & Sciences

 

Textiles

Smart Clothes and Wearable Technology by J. Mccann and D. Bryson(Woodhead Publishing in Textiles)  Smart clothes and wearable technology is a unique and essential reference source for researchers, designers and engineers developing textiles and clothing products in this cross-disciplinary area. It will also be beneficial for those in the healthcare industry and academics researching textiles, fashion and design.

A comprehensive review of the technologies and materials available for the design and production of smart clothing, this book goes beyond the basics to provide a comprehensive overview of the wearer’s requirements. After assessing the design and materials available for smart clothing and wearable technology, the book covers the design process from fiber selection through to product developments in digital print technology. It then examines the general requirements, types of technologies available, and manufacturing methods. The coverage includes developments in fabric joining and graphic communications.

The process of creating smart clothing and wearable technology has to consider so many factors that it has to be collaborative between end-users, textile specialists, electronics, fashion and clothing designers and manufacturers all the way from the concept for new garment or wearable device through to point of sale. This book then is designed to support the development of a shared language between designers and each of the specialisations. It takes a non-specialist approach to technical areas that are usually covered, especially well in Woodhead Publishing's publications, by whole books rather than single chapters. It is only through the development of this shared language and understanding that we can begin to collaborate and overcome the complexities of design and product development of smart clothing and wearable technology.

To provide practical guidance and support, the chapters identify and elaborate a generic critical path from fibre production through to commercial prototyping described in an accessible language for designers. Innovative technologies may be integrated in a sequence of stages to enhance functionality throughout the critical path from fibre development to product launch. The book follows this sequence in its four parts from 'The design of smart clothing and wearable technology' (Part I), 'Materials and technologies for smart clothing' (Part II), 'Production technologies for smart clothing' (Part III) through to 'Smart clothing products' (Part IV).

Clothing that has truly 'wearable' attributes should both work and look good. To bring emerging technologies to market, and promote their use, the aesthetics and comfort of the clothing must be acceptable and the technology interface simple and intuitive for an inclusive audience. The technical, aesthetic and cultural demands of the wearer should inform the selection of specific assemblies of textiles within the design process.

Part I looks first at the emergence of wearable computing (Chapter 1), types of smart clothing and wearable technology (Chapter 2) then addresses key issues designers must consider from end-user based design of innovative smart clothing (Chapter 3), the garment design process from fibre selection to product launch (Chapter 4), to considerations for designing for the body (Chapter 5).

A new shared language is needed to enable communication between those, from a disparate mix of backgrounds, who will constitute the future design development team that addresses the merging of textile and clothing technologies with wearable computing. Part II looks at critical issues from fibre, yarn and textile development through to sensors and communication, providing a blend of what are often thought of as soft and hard technologies.

Part II starts by looking at the influence of knitwear on smart wearables (Chapter 6), woven structures and their impact on function and performance (Chapter 7), non-wovens in smart clothes and wearable tech-nologies (Chapter 8), then moves on to the more electronic aspects of sensors and computing systems in smart clothing (Chapter 9), the applica-tion of communication technologies in smart clothing (Chapter 10) and the power supplies for smart textiles (Chapter 11).

The next key step is how smart clothing and wearable technologies can be produced. Part I looked at the end-user needs and Part II at the textiles and technologies. Part III then takes all of the elements from the earlier chapters and looks at how they can be integrated into a garment that is wearable and aesthetically pleasing.

The first two chapters look at cutting and placing of materials in garment construction (Chapter 12) and developments in fabric joining for smart clothing (Chapter 13), bringing together new ways of thinking about producing clothing that is smart in terms of design and production. The next two chapters look at how decoration may also be functional in smart clothing and wearable technology with digital embroidery techniques for smart clothing (Chapter 14) and developments in digital print technology for smart textiles (Chapter 15). The last chapter in this section looks at the environmental and waste issues concerning the production of smart clothes and wearable technology (Chapter 16) as we turn items that have been traditionally easy to recycle, textiles, into hybrid textile/computer products that are difficult to recycle.

Part IV completes the picture by looking at actual products that are available in the marketplace or have been developed as concepts for research and development. However, it also dares us to imagine constructively what is needed to take smart clothes and wearable technology that stage further to what we can dream may be possible in the near future.

However, too many technologies are introduced to the market where the need is assumed to be present but which only sells in small quantities. There are few products which truly become ubiquitous, and even then, time may lead to their ultimate demise. It is important that we look at what end-users really need, even if it is not possible with current technology.

The authors in Part IV consider these themes: 'What is around now?', 'What is currently in development?' and 'What do we want in the future?' and address different aspects of the smart clothing and wearable technology market from smart clothes and wearable technology for the health and well-being market (Chapter 17), smart clothing for the ageing population (Chapter 18), smart clothing and wearable technology for people with arthritis (Chapter 19), wearable technology for performing arts (Chapter 19) and branding and presentation of smart clothing products to consumers (Chapter 21).

Jane McCann is Director of the Smart Clothes and Wearable Technologies (SCWT) Research Centre at University of Wales Newport, UK. Her research at SCWT concentrates on the application of smart and intelligent textiles for functional clothing in the areas of protective and corporate wear, performance sport and inclusive clothing design. She was the recipient of the Misha Black Award for Innovation in Design Education' in 2003 from the Royal College of Art. David Bryson is a Teaching Fellow in the Faculty of Arts, Design and Technology at the University of Derby, UK. His research interests include the use of scientific photography and multimedia to support learning, teaching and assessment in applied science, art and design.

Encyclopedia of Textile Finishing CD-ROM by H.K. Rouette (Springer Verlag) The textile processing industry is complexly structured - just as complex, even impenetrable is the know-how that an expert in the textile field should have. The new Encyclopedia of Textile Finishing is designed to bring some order into the confusion of technical terms in this sector. The encyclopedia was devised with the specialists in mind and is a store of knowledge for the textile expert. It consists of three volumes containing in alphabetical order the latest research findings (approx. 16000 keywords) from all technical disciplines of textile finishing and their practice-related application. Clear, colored illustrations and numerous cross references serve for faster comprehension and conveyence of information. By virtue of its interdisciplinary character, this reference book is an irreplaceable aid for users from all fields of textile industry. Thus, no textile engineer and no library should be without it.

System Requirements: Win NT 4.0 or higher, Win 95, Win 98, Win 2000, Win ME, WinXP; CD-ROM drive; 128 MB RAM; 260 MB free hard disk space on your partition; Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0; Netscape Communicator 4.5 or higher  (excluding 6.X); or Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher.

Encyclopedic from A to Z covering - among others - the following subjects of textile engineering: Environmental protection; Colorimetry; Fibre Technology; Dyeing; Printing; Ecology; Machines; Macromolecular Chemistry; Exhaust Air; Physical Chemistry; Process Technology etc.

The international economy, accompanied by a marked shift in the political landscape in many areas of the world, is currently undergoing profound change. Not only are a great number of industrialised, recently‑industrialised and developing countries affected by these developments but also many manufacturing companies and public utilities. Changes arc likewise taking place from the sociological standpoint due to a constantly increasing world population, resources and jobs arc becoming scarcer, the threat to the environment is increasing, more and more people arc being excluded from active employment and the number of old people is on the rise.

The consequences ‑ especially in the political sphere‑arc far‑reaching. Within the realms of corporate strategy the process of industrial concentration continues; associations and institutions also follow this trend by combining to form more efficient units. The strugglefor marketshares, skilled labour andyoung talent, for greater competitiveness and business survival is becoming harder and harder. The textile industry, in particular, is seriously affected by these developments. Despite increasing productivity in certain sectors, factorics and jobs arc both victims to these events. The marketfor textiles now demands an ever quicker supply of merchandise and the more development a company pursues, the greater its need for information on research in the industrial field. As a common objective of theory and practice, the translation of scientific knowledge into new products and production techniques is a necessary prerequisite for the promotion of structural change in small textile companies. Various avenues present themselves for an effective transfer of knowledge, c. g.: ‑ technology centres,  trade conferences, specialised seminars, expert consultancy, trade exhibitions with accompanying symposia and,             of course, publications in technical journals and books.

The rapid progress of technology has meant that complete works on the subject of textile finishing, including its peripheral fields, arc either no longer available or out of date, and have become less comprehensible due to continual amendments. Communication problems between theorists and practitioners arc an additional factor. Process technology, as the link between theory and practice, represents the optimum means for bringing together theoretical knowledge and practical procedure in order that reproducible and profitable products can be manufactured.

Against this background an encyclopedia has been compiled which provides a comprehensive treatment of textile finishing technology and all its peripheral fields. The underlying concept has been to structure the data and consider different user perspectives, since the Encyclopedia of Textile Finishing is intended to serve the needs of several user groups. Thus, responsibility for locating desired information should not lie with the reader‑rather he/she should be guided by the system itself. An information system of this nature offers the textile finisher a wide range of directly usable information on textile technology which, with regard to the amount of dedicated effort and extent of compilation involved, has simply not been available hitherto. The Encyclopedia of Textile Finishing describes common and new terms methodically by means of concise definitions. Keywords of special significance arc dealt with in their entirety and treated more extensively in their ecological, process technological and application‑oriented contexts, such as: manufacturing technology, products, by‑product areas, energy, mass and information flows, human environments, complete production lines for textile and clothing manufacture up to waste disposal, cco‑balances.

 

The Encyclopedia of Textile Finishing serves to describe the wealth of information involved in the dyeing, printing, finishing and coating of textiles such as clothing, home textiles, industrial textiles, medical textiles and gcotexhles. At the same time, particular attention has been paid to the environmental problems peculiar to textile finishing. The German laws and regulations mentioned in this work arc exemplary for the worldwide environmental protection. Chemical concepts arc explained with the aid of formulae. Knowledge of textile chemistry is regarded as fundamental for a clear understanding of textile finishing and, for this reason, knowledge relating to: macromolecular chemistry, dye chemistry, water and tenside chemistry, colloid chemistry, and physical chemistry has received prominent coverage.

Polymer physics is responsible for shaping the morphological structure of natural and synthetic fibres, and the properties of the fibres themselves arc related to their structure. These interrelationships areiraportatitto the textile finisher and have received comprehensive treatment.

The processes of diffusion, adsorption and immobilisation arc kinetic aspects of all chemical and coloristic modifications to fibres which only seldom proceed to thermodynamic equilibrium. Prom such considerations, a modern concept of the processing technology involved in textile finishing results which aims to satisfy the quality standards demanded in the application of fibres. Extensive information on the machinery, equipment and installations used in these applications, with typical modern examples, forms the basis of detailed descriptions. Problems of such vital importance as environmental pollution arc treated in encyclopedic scope by the Encyclopedia of Textile Finishing.

Since the range of knowledge covered by the encyclopedia extends far beyond the realm of textile finishing per se, and necessarily includes the preceding and succeeding production stages of textile technology, an integral view predominates in many of the definitions. The Encyclopedia of Textile Finishing has been so named because comprehensive knowledge from every specialised area having a bearing on textile finishing has been amassed for the benefit of the textile finisher. The Encyclopedia of Textile Finishing has its origin in the Department of Textile and Clothing Technology of the University of Applied Science, where teaching is practised by "specialists in the field". This English version is a translation and update of the German edition published in 1995 by Laumann‑Verlag. It is nevertheless not surprising that the Encyclopedia of Textile Finishing represents the culmination of seven years painstaking effort and thatit draws on numerous outside publications. Because of the great number of publications involved, it has not been possible to quote this borrowed intellectual property which forms such a substantial part of the encyclopedia. Literature references have been dispensed with entirely, for which we kindly request the understanding of the various authors concerned. Their published work is considered to reflect the latest state of knowledge and, in a few cases, has been acknowledged at the end of a keyword with the postscript "according to XY". Manufacturer's and trade names have also been omitted from the text as far as possible. Where, occasionally, it has been necessary to describe individual products (c. g., machines, dyes, cw.), details of the respective manufacturers have been given. Diagrams borrowed from outside publications have likewise been acknowledged according to manufacturer or source.

It is anticipated that the The Encyclopedia of Textile Finishing will appeal particularly to: plant owners, directors, management, factory managers, qualified engineers, technologists, practitioners, foremen, environmental officers, chemist‑colourists, clothing manufacturers, textile designers, fashion designers, quality inspectors, dry‑cleaners, students, professors, teachers, lecturers, trainers, re­scarch workers, buyers, sales personnel, wholesalers, personnel in various authorities and ministries, machine makers, personnel in supply industries catering to the needs of textile manufacture, representatives of the chemical industry, organizers of trade fairs, journalists, lawyers, judges and experts in the judiciary, consumers, who either enjoy close contact with the end­products of textile finishing, or use them in a variety of ways as technical or medical textiles.

Exploring Textile Arts edited by Creative Publishing International (Creative Publishing International) The ultimate guide to manipulating, coloring and embellishing fabrics. Experimentation with various fabric manipulation methods is one of the hottest trends pursued by creative sewers and textile artists alike. Purchased fabric is merely an open canvas, waiting for an inspired hand to alter its character and define its purpose. In this book, you'll find nearly 50 fabulous techniques for creating one-of-a-kind designer fabrics using your imagination as the guide.

Step-by-step photography leads the fabric artist through the various processes used to create decorative fabrics suitable for quilting, wearable art garments, home decor, or simply to be admired.

Exploring Textile Arts was created by 30 of the nation's leading designers who provided artwork for inspiration and professional tips for success.

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