The brave new world of wearable intelligence

Clothing that monitors the health of the wearer, changes thermal properties with the external environment, collects solar energy or has its own in-built entertainment or communications system might once have been considered the realm of science fiction. This situation is destined to change over the next decade or so. A new category of textile products incorporating properties and functions not normally associated with apparel is beginning to emerge that will force a complete revision of our expectations of the role of clothing. A major consequence of this change will be the creation of opportunities for competitive or strategic advantage across a very broad range of applications beyond the traditional textile markets, and this applies to wool as much as any other fibre.