| Abstract | This poster investigates the challenge for textiles used as travel clothes with a focus on aviation and smart textile properties.
Unknown to many of the 3 billion air travellers per year, the human body is subjected to physical stress during commercial flights. As the cabin is artificially pressurized, the air pressure equals that of a mountain of 2400 metres above sea level. This - combined with a moisture level that is less than in the Sahara desert - causes travellers to feel dry skin, eyes and nose; have an accelerated heart rate and feel body gases expand in their ears and stomachs. Passengers with lung problems (or smokers) might suffer from slight hypoxia and get headaches. Furthermore, on certain routes passengers are affected by cosmic radiation.
However, this not only affects the passengers but also the many crew-members. They have further physical challenges to deal with such as climate changes when they leave a hot country like Singapore and stand at an open door after landing in Moscow.
The question for the future of air travel is how textile innovations can cater to the human needs of the body. How can they improve our travel experience?
The research proposes better protection of human bodies during flight through clothes with smart, medical or nano properties. The actual challenge does not seem to be in developing the smart textiles but in applying them for the commercial aviation segment. With IATA estimating 6bn air-travelers by 2030, it would now be the right time for clothing brands and smart textile manufacturers to team up and start creating complete ranges which can be sold to airlines and air travelers. |
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