Nottingham Trent University

Clothing embedded with tiny solar cells the size of a flea can allow wearers to generate electricity on the move and charge items like mobile phones and smartwatches.

Gloves embedded with tiny sensors are being developed by Nottingham Trent University to help protect construction workers from exposure to vibration. Led by Professor Tilak Dias, of the School of Art & Design, the technology aims to alert wearers to when they experience vibrations likely to cause conditions such as vibration white finger and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Smart specs that know when you are smiling are being developed by researchers to help rehabilitate people with facial palsy. The technology - named Facial Remote Activity Monitoring Eyewear (Frame) - may lend itself to other future applications such as providing feedback on a person’s mood if, for instance, they have depression. It may also enable someone who is tetraplegic control a wheelchair.

A student at Nottingham Trent University has developed a new wearable device that warns rugby referees if a player needs to be medically examined. George Russell, 21, who’s studying a BSc in Product Design, created the device after his brother underwent MRI scans after developing concussion twice while playing rugby. Russell’s device can prevent players carrying on in the heat of battle after suffering a dangerous knock to the head.

Research by Nottingham Trent University, in collaboration with Copenhagen/San Francisco-based Siren Care, has led to the development of electronic smart socks which inform users of the early signs of diabetic foot ulcers. The new development could help doctors to remotely monitor diabetics for a potentially life threatening condition thanks to the measurement of foot temperature.

Working alongside several industry partners, researchers at Nottingham Trent University and Loughborough University have developed a prototype garment incorporating an embroidered antenna. Ideally suited for search and rescue applications, the newly designed antenna is fully flexible, lightweight and water resistant.