Optical Fibers in the Design and Fabrication of Smart Garments – a Review

Several publications and even commercial products showcasing the application of optical fibers for textile goods abound in literature. Optical fibers can be employed as sensors by making use of physical principles to sense strain, temperature, and other quantities by tailoring the fiber such that the quantity to be measured alters the intensity, phase, polarisation, and wavelength of light within the fiber. However, a paper directed at the development of textile based applications or smart garments using optical fibers is lacking. This review seeks to serve as apt reference material for the development of optical fiber based textile sensors or smart garments with a focus on the application of plastic optical fibers (POFs). Highlighted are the salient material properties of POFs and their importance in delivering satisfactory sensing results. Special treatment has also been given to their proposed feasibility for embedment within weft knitted structures.