An investigation of temperature-sensing textiles for temperature monitoring during sub-maximal cycling trials

Abstract

Temperature-sensing textiles have been proposed for a variety of applications, including health monitoring and sports. Skin temperature ( Tsk) measurements are an important parameter in performance sports and can be used to better understand thermoregulation during exercise. Currently, most Tsk measurements are taken using skin-mounted thermistors, which can be uncomfortable to the wearer, or thermal imaging, which can be difficult to implement and analyze. This work investigates the feasibility of using textile temperature-sensing electronic yarns (E-yarns) to measure human skin temperature during sub-maximal cycling trials. E-yarns were attached to commercially available cycling suits and measurements were recorded using both the E-yarns and the skin-mounted thermistors at rest and during sub-maximal cycling. Temperature readings were compared between the two temperature-sensing methodologies to determine the viability of using the temperature-sensing E-yarns for this application. Differences in the Tsk measurements as high as 5.9℃ between the E-yarns and skin-mounted thermistors for participants at rest have been shown. This work has also identified that a build-up of sweat significantly altered the Tsk recorded by the E-yarns in some cases. Further experiments explored the effect of saline solutions (simulating sweat) on the response of the temperature-sensing E-yarns. This work has highlighted boundary conditions for taking point Tsk measurement using electronic textiles.