Developing a smart textile for active compression in anxiety relief

Abstract

Anxiety disorders are some of the most common mental health disorders. According to a report by the European Union, one in two individuals in Europe reported feeling depressed or anxious in the past 12 months as of June 2023 (OECD & European Union, 2022). Apart from the typical treatments for anxiety – psychotherapy, and pharmacological intervention ¬– the affected individuals need a way to manage their symptoms themselves, which is evidenced by the existence of many self-soothing methods. The motivation for this project is to create a self-soothing solution that brings immediate relief and can be used in any situation – a smart compression garment. The smart compression garment aims to provide users with a discreet and efficient way to manage their anxiety symptoms, making a significant impact on their overall well-being. This project takes the first step toward achieving this goal by creating a textile actuator made using smart materials that is suitable to be embedded into a wearable garment. To develop this textile actuator, a practice-based design research methodology was implemented, with prototyping and testing as the main knowledge-generating methods. The exploration began by crafting artificial muscles out of commercially available nylon line to determine the type of muscle most suitable to serve as an actuator. The muscles were then woven into a textile, together with conductive yarn that served as the activation medium. Lastly, the samples created in this manner were embedded into a garment structure and tested on a mannequin. The tests proved that the textile actuators made using artificial muscles and conductive yarn have the potential to be used for compression in a garment. However, due to the high activation temperature of nylon, further research is recommended into materials suitable for producing artificial muscles. Future research should focus on optimising the materials and design of the artificial muscle textile actuators to ensure they can be effectively used in a garment that meets the needs of a wide range of users.