Innovative Acoustic Fabric for Real-Time Heartbeat Monitoring and Sound Detection

MIT and Rhode Island School of Design engineers have developed an innovative material and science breakthrough: a flexible acoustic fabric that detects and generates sound, transforming clothing into interactive audio devices and health monitors.

Innovative Acoustic Fabric Inspired by Human Hearing

Engineers at MIT and collaborators from the Rhode Island School of Design have designed a unique fabric that functions like a microphone by converting sound waves into mechanical vibrations and then into electrical signals, closely mimicking the human auditory system. This journal of materials science reveals how the fabric’s piezoelectric fibers bend with the cloth to detect sounds ranging from quiet whispers to heavy traffic.

How the Acoustic Fiber Works

The fabric integrates fibers made from a piezoelectric material that generates electrical signals when bent or deformed. These fibers are produced by heating and drawing a layered preform containing vibration-enhancing ingredients into thin strands approximately 40 meters long. When woven with conventional yarns, the resulting fabric is lightweight, flexible, and machine washable.

Tests demonstrated that the fiber’s performance rivals handheld microphones, accurately detecting sound direction within one degree and capturing subtle physiological signals like heartbeats when sewn into shirt linings.

Applications Beyond Traditional Fabrics

Beyond wearables for communication and health monitoring, this acoustic fabric technology has potential uses in diverse fields such as spacecraft skin for detecting space dust accumulation, smart building materials for crack detection, and oceanic nets for monitoring fish populations. Its ability to both sense and generate sound opens new frontiers for interactive textiles.

“This research offers quite literally a new way for fabrics to listen to our body and to the surrounding environment.”

Future Perspectives and Research Support

Lead author Wei Yan envisions garments that allow users to talk through their clothes to answer phone calls and continuously monitor vital signs in real time with comfort. Supported by institutions including the US Army Research Office and the National Science Foundation, this breakthrough in material and science paves the way for multifunctional smart textiles.

Image credit: MIT & Rhode Island School of Design