# Future Trend in Wearable Electronics in the Textile Industry
## 4 Technical Limitations in Wearable Technology
#### Cost versus product lifespan or durability  
In particular, mass production and low-cost materials with superior performances are needed. In addition to cost issues, it is necessary to further develop a higher sensitivity and longer operational stability of sensor devices in order to realize practical applications that can precisely detect human activities or physiological signals [47]. The development of military uniforms, integration of sensors and actuators can increase functionality, e.g., developments in communication devices. There are three main areas in such devices, which are personal communication networks, wide area networks, and information systems, as shown in Figure 8[8]. Nevertheless, the incorporation of sensors, actuators, and other electronic components into military uniforms increases the overall cost of the final products, depending on the number and types of additional functionalities incorporated into the clothing. As the application of electronic textiles in military usage is still in an early stage, the initial cost involved in the design and development may be high. The cost should decline when the technologies become mature and electronic textiles become bulk military items. Furthermore, the increase in cost could become less significant when various life-saving features are added to military clothing [8].  
Figure 8: Three areas of communication devices for military applications.  
_Comfort and physical aesthetics_  
Knitted fabrics are more flexible than woven fabrics, and therefore, when stretchiness and flexibility are needed, knitted fabric structure is an option. On the other hand, when a rigid structure is required, woven fabrics are a better choice. The direct insertion of conductive yarns into the weaving and knitting manufacturing processes, sewing, or embroidery systems are possible manufacturing routes for electronic textiles. Embroidery is defined as a decorative arrangement of yarns, cords, and/or beads on the fabric to obtain the desired configuration on the surface [5,71]. Digital embroidery designs allow combining electronic components on textile surface, i.e., conductive yarns can be embroidered with or without the conventional yarns to create an electrical conductivity feature on the textiles to let the current pass through the embroidered design [5,72]. Coating, printing, and the deposition of electroconductive solutions on knitted, woven, and nonwoven fabric surfaces are also alternative ways for the manufacturing of electronic textiles [5]. However, most of the applications are still in prototype form, and the mass fabrication of electronic textiles is still a challenge [5,39].  
_Health and safety_  
Concerns have been raised about particles of all sizes entering or generated during the manufacturing process, as well as during use. This includes the potential toxicity of nanoparticles and metals, effects of electromagnetic fields, accidental electric shock, and the inability to activate the emergency shut-off device in case of malfunctioning of smart protective textiles [44]. In addition, smart textiles present the same challenges as traditional electronic waste. Smart textile wastes contain problematic as well as valuable substances and are often disposed along with their batteries. In particular, it is critical to ensure that the waste generated by use of smart textiles does not create new hazards for health and the environment [44].