Jan 5, 2018 - and health care, "assistance systems" for sensory organs and muscular activities, as well as useful servic
Fashion 4.0 Digitalization of fashion At a glance It is conceivable that our clothing will increasingly undergo profound changes over the next few years triggered by innovative technologies. Smart Clothes, i. e. clothing characterized not only by its traditional protective and representational functions, but also by technical and digital features, have evolved as a promising opportunity for one of the world's largest economic sectors - the fashion industry. Since the rise of the wearables, intelligent apparel has recently appeared on the market, but has not yet received adequate attention. Biometric body analysis in sports and health care, "assistance systems" for sensory organs and muscular activities, as well as useful services for the person wearing Smart Clothes by interactions with intelligent devices as part of the Internet of Things (IoT), are just some of the product concepts and use cases. For economic actors, these developments make it necessary to reconcider business models, product developments and collaborations. In order to be able to assess respective challenges of Smart Clothes, this article illustrates the developments by means of a classification and presentation of product concepts. Subsequently, implications for product requirements and business models are identified.
Oliver Behr 05.01.2018 Version 1.0
Content
Inhalt
Introduction - Smart Clothes
2
Review - Wearables and Smart Clothes
2
Terminology and classification
2
Development of Smart Clothes
3
Market potential
3
Smart Clothes - Use-Cases Sports and health
4
Environmental monitoring, organ of perception and exoskeleton
6
Communication and Interaction
7
Challenges and implications for companies
References
4
8
Product requirements
8
Business Model
9
Technical aspects
10
Conclusion
11 12 14
1
technical and digital features in addition to the classic
Introduction - Smart Clothes
protective and self-presentation functions [3].
The car drives independently through the morning rush hour. The refrigerator reports that it has ordered milk from a food supplier. When we leave work, the heating
system
at
home
prepares
a
pleasant
temperature in the apartment. What sounded like science fiction a few years ago has already been realized technically
today.
The
Internet
of
Things,
an
infrastructure of (everyday) devices that can connect and interact with each other [1], penetrates more and more areas of life. These intelligent devices (Smart Products) are usually connected to the Internet and can autonomously collect, evaluate and send data to react to certain situations. Electric devices worn on the body, so-called wearables [2], such as the Apple Watch or the Fitbit, are already part of our daily routine. However, the acceptance of such wearables is usually limited to accessories such as watches and fitness trackers, whereas apparel worn on the body is not necessarily associated with innovative and technical capabilities. The generations before us wore clothes that were very similar to our current fashion in terms of materials and functions, even
To address the challenges and opportunities created by Smart Clothes, this article looks at how traditional and new players in one of the world's largest manufacturing industries,
the
fashion
industry,
can
remain
competitive in the context of a comprehensive interconnectivity of multiple objects. The article is aimed at people responsible for strategy and business development, offers a comprehensive overview and explains what Smart Clothes imply for old and new business models in the fashion and wearable sector to outline possibilities emerging by these products. The article
does
not
deal
with
smart
production
possibilities (IIoT, industry 4.0, 3D printing) or the possibilities of digital marketing and distribution channels (Omnichannel, social media), but rather deals with the potential of intelligent products in the fashion sector itself. To this end, the article first illustrates examples to indicate the current and future direction of concepts and developments. Afterwards, the challenges for business models are described and general recommendations for sustainable economic success are presented.
though we are now in an increasingly intelligent and digital world. Of course, there have been many innovations in the fashion industry in terms of sales, design and materials, such as nylon tights. Disruptive
Review
- Wearables and Smart
Clothes
changes to the apparel itself, however, are rarely observed. This is partly due to a lack of supply, unclear
Terminology and classification
business models, technical difficulties and social
As the penetration rate of smartphones continues to
concerns.
increase, we are seeing a fascinating new trend in the
Smaller and more powerful technologies combined
wearables market: Early adopters are showing a
with new materials, however, show a change in this
growing interest in a mobile ecosystem of devices
area that could fundamentally affect our everyday life -
designed to improve the quality of life by providing
a complete and permanent connection, analysis and
services that a smartphone cannot achieve on its own.
support of our body by intelligent clothing - Smart
These devices, which comprise intelligent watches,
Clothes. This term refers to garments that have
wristbands, glasses, shoes, clothing, hearing aids, implants and helmets, i. e. electrical devices worn on the body, are the called wearables. Wearables can capture, communicate and respond to a wide range of
2
data from the body and the environment, and can thus
time
enable
be assigned to the Internet of Things (IoT) [3]. This
companies.
alternative
business
models
for
article deals with intelligent apparel, the so-called "Smart Clothes" as part of the main group wearables.
Market potential Although the Smart Clothes market is still relatively unknown and small nowadays, we can imply a tremendous potential when looking at the related markets of wearables and apparel. Smart Clothes will position themselves between these markets and gain relative market shares. The global smartphone market in 2017 is impressive, with $480 billion in revenue, but is fading compared to the global apparel market, which is well over $1 trillion in volume. By 2020, these revenues will grow to up to $520 billion in smartphones and over $2 trillion in the apparel business [5].
Figure 1: Classification of the terms (own illustration)
The wearables market has also been growing steadily for years and further growth is likely.
In this context, the term "Fashion 4.0" summarizes
With the latest success of fitness trackers and the
four specific aspects of Smart Clothes - new technology,
advent of the Apple Watch, market analysts forecast a
new materials, new markets and new business models.
positive sales trend. In July 2016, IDTechEx Research [6] estimates that, that the market for wearable
Development of Smart Clothes
technology will reach over $30 billion in 2016 and will continue to grow in three stages. Initially limited
As early as the 1970s, Steve Mann from the
growth of 9 percent by 2018, followed by accelerated
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) thought
annual growth of up to 23 percent to over $100 billion
about intelligent clothing and its potential. However,
by 2023 (Fig. 2).
technical difficulties initially slowed down his efforts [4]. Research interest in the field of Smart Clothes has continued to grow since the advent of the Internet and technological advances in the beginning of the new century. Following improvements in the area of smaller, cheaper and more powerful sensors, innovative pioneers of the fashion industry such as Nike or Ralph Laurent, as well as new players such as Google and Samsung, are now presenting truly intelligent and technical product concepts on the wearable and
Figure 2: Market of Wearables (Own illustration following IDTechEx)
apparel market. Clothing is equipped with hardware and software that provides customers with new
Given the steady growth of wearables and apparel,
services that offer special capabilities and at the same
Smart Clothes could also be expected to grow strongly.
3
However, the growth in the Smart Clothes segment will
" If we believe that our future is going to be defined
not be noticeable for several years to come [7]. This
by these hard pieces of glass or plastic that sit in our
delay can be attributed to technical, economic and
back pockets, you're crazy, [...]
cultural challenges. It currently accounts for less than
It is going to convert into apparel. "
5-10% of the total wearable market.
(Kevin Plank, CEO Under Armour)
Smart Clothes - Use-Cases Innovative companies with attractive product concepts are already showing an outlook on the future of Smart Clothes. There are three main areas of application: 1.
Sports and health
2.
Environmental
monitoring,
organ
of
perception and exoskeleton Figure 3: Segmentation Wearable Markt (Source: Tractica)
The global total volume of Smart Clothes in 2016 was around $1.4 billion. [8]. An increase in sales figures is
3.
Communication und Interaction
Sports and health
foreseeable (Fig. 4) and around 30 million units sold by
Manufacturers of sportswear recognized that new
2023 are estimated [9].
products and business models with the analysis of biometric data in sports have great potential. Particularly in professional sports activities, most of the injuries are attributed to a lack of muscle warming or overuse. Accurate measurements of body activity during a workout allows to recognize dangers at an early stage and react to them by adapting exercises. Since professional athletes are among the most wellpaid professions in the world, their injuries can cause considerable costs, which arise not only from
Figure 4: Smart Clothes units sold (Own Illustration following Statista)
treatment and rehabilitation, but also from missing ticket and merchandising revenues, as well as a lack of
In the context of the overall increase in digital
business success. These prospects have prompted
interconnectedness, the wearable market will grow
sporting goods manufacturers to invest early on in
and, according to market observers, Smart Clothes in
intelligent sports apparel that enables real-time
particular have a very large, disruptive potential in the
monitoring of body and muscle activity to provide
long term. [10].
optimal control and customization of athletes' training. The fitness trackers can be seen as the first successful commonly accepted realizations of wearables in sports, amongst which products of Garmin, today the Apple Watch and the Fitbit, pushed the trend towards tracking sports performance for a large part of the
4
population. However, the wrist is not necessarily the
has since then initiated further research projects and
most effective and inconspicuous location of sensors
filed patents7. In cooperation with the basketball
and
sensor
league NBA, the NikeConnect8 program has been
technology integrated into Smart Clothes garments
initiated this year, which offers customers individual
have enabled accurate measurement of the body's data
and exclusive digital services when purchasing a
such as heart rate, lung activity, muscle activity, skin's
basketball jersey. Adidas has acquired the Smart
galvanic conductivity, blood pressure, body position or
Clothing specialist Textronic9 and is already supplying
acceleration, as the sensors cover large parts of the
professional
body's respective areas [11].
demonstrate training progress and generate new
Surprisingly, it was the lifestyle brand Ralph Lauren,
training plans10.
who were one of the first to launch a sophisticated
Not only in the field of sports, but also throughout the
storage
units.
New
materials
smart shirt in 2014, the Polo
athletes
with
a
Smart
T-shirt
to
The tight-fitting
entire health care system, intelligent clothing provide
training shirt has silver fibers woven directly into the
elegant technical solutions. Precise personal body data
fabric and a small, sensor-filled black box that
from the sensors of intelligent apparel in combination
measures biometric values such as steps, heart rate,
with predictive analytics can, for example, create a
respiration and energy level. This product was
data-controlled feedback and monitoring system in the
developed
in
cooperation
Tech1.
and
company
hospital environment that recognizes dangerous
OMsignal2, which now also provides several Smart
with
the
situations at an early stage [12] [13]. These types of
Clothes and connects them via its own platform. This
systems will also be able to provide feedback on
was then followed by start-ups such as dorsaVi4,
Athos3
and
who developed sports outerwear and
rehabilitation
training
that
is
specifically
and
individually tailored to the patient. Owletcare11
underwear. Sensoria5 develops socks and shirts
specializes
equipped with sensors which, in conjunction with a
concerned parents with an overview of their child's
virtual coach on the smartphone, create running
health. The pharmaceutical and beauty industry also
analyses and recommendations for athletes. With a
counts on innovations in the field of Smart Clothes and
small sensor that can be attached to any pair of sports
is investing in apparel made from medical textiles that
pants,
Lumo6
Among
provides an easy way to smart pants.
other
things,
this
sensor
can
release
in
monitoring
moisturizers,
toddlers
perfumes
to
or
provide
medical
measures
ingredients. It is therefore conceivable that Smart
acceleration, braking movements and speed and is
Clothes could accelerate the wound healing process,
intended to provide conclusions about the running
transform body odors or administer medication in the
behavior. Lumo also offers its customers a digital
future.
coach, that creates individual training plans based on
The sports and health sector has demonstrated many
the acquired data. The large and established suppliers
applications and established itself as a pioneer in the
of the sports fashion industry such as Adidas and Nike
Smart Clothes market. In the course of the progressive
have also initiated developments to meet the demands
health trend in our society, the accurate, continuous
of the ongoing digitalization process. Nike developed
and unobtrusive measurement of body data can make
the Nike+ sensor in 2006, which can measure, in
a promising contribution. We can expect continued
combination with the Apple iPod, sports activities and
growth in this segment.
1
7
https://www.theverge.com/2015/8/20/9178923/ralph-laurens-polotech-smartshirt-is-the-ultimate-preppy-tech 2 https://omsignal.com/ 3 https://www.liveathos.com/ 4 https://www.dorsavi.com/us/en/movementsuite/ 5 http://www.sensoriafitness.com/ 6 https://www.lumobodytech.com/lumo-run/
https://qz.com/315924/the-patented-nike-shirt-that-could-track-your-heart-rateand-blood-pressure-while-you-exercise/ 8 https://news.nike.com/news/nikeconnect-jersey-app-guide 9 http://www.textronicsinc.com/ 10 https://ark-invest.com/research/adidas-smart-shirt 11 https://owletcare.com/
5
Environmental monitoring, organ of perception and exoskeleton As soon as we get behind the wheel of a car, numerous auxiliary and assistance systems are activated, which monitor us and assist our activities. We are warned in case of imminent danger, speed and distance to the vehicle in front are measured, held and adjusted independently. These kinds of help and assistance systems are also conceivable when you think of our clothes. Elderly people often have the problem that dwindling muscle strength entails that sitting upright and getting up requires a lot of effort. One could help them, as well as people who suffer from disabilities and are thus restricted in their sensory perception or movement function, with supporting systems worn on the body in Smart Clothes. The Superflex-suit12 by the design agency fuseproject is equipped with actuators that can support the muscular work of the person wearing it (Fig. 5). This type of clothing is called artificial exoskeleton. The StartUp Loomia13 has presented products that warm up or glow in certain situations (Fig. 6). CuteCircute from London developed the Twitter dress14, which changes color when it receives a tweet and the Hug-Shirt15, which lets two wearers feel the external influences of the other person, such as a hug.
Figure 6: Dress with 10.000 MicroLED‘s, cutecircuit.. Source: https://cutecircuit.com/cutecircuit-mfa-dress/
The designer Hussein Chalayan created dresses that can change their shape and fit while wearing, with the help of small actuators and caused a sensation at the Paris Fashion Week16. Smart clothing could warn the wearer of environmental hazards by means of haptic and
visual
feedback
and
initiate
appropriate
countermeasures. In the industrial environment,
Figure 5: Superflex Suite by Fuseproject. Source: https://fuseproject.com/work/superflex/a 1
12 13 14
https://fuseproject.com/work/superflex/aura-powered-suit/?focus=product https://www.loomia.co/welcome http://cutecircuit.com/the-twitter-dress/
15 16
https://cutecircuit.com/the-hug-shirt/ https://www.technologyreview.com/s/406705/transforming-clothes/
6
augmented reality applications and a concomitant
The Limited Edition BRIGHT BMBR jacket21 was
support
becoming
created in the collaboration of the New York design
increasingly interesting [14]. Smart Clothes can be
of
sensory
perception
label Rochambeau, Avery Dennison and the IoT
used, for example, to transform the movements of the
specialist EVRYTHNG (Fig. 7). The jacket became an
wearer into a virtual world and provide the person who
intelligent piece of clothing thanks to NFC technology.
wears it with context-related
are
information17.
Military research in the field of environmental sensors, sensory
organs
and
exoskeleton
shows
very
impressively what is possible and what we will be faced with [15]. The TALOS Exosuit (Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit)18 is being developed in the USA in a large-scale research project of 56 companies, 16 government agencies, 13 universities and 10 national laboratories. The suit is supposed to have embedded sensors for monitoring body temperature, heart rate, hydration and body position. Additionally, functions for heating and cooling the temperature in the suit, bulletproof armor, 360-degree cameras with built-in night vision and a motorized exoskeleton that supports muscle activity are planned. The first prototypes are
Figure 7: BRIGHT BMBR, Source: https://brightbmbr.nyc
expected in 2018.
Special offers, VIP access and exclusive experiences such as tastings and private guided tours to art galleries
Communication and Interaction
are offered to the customer with the jacket, which acts
Unlike the above-mentioned approaches to smart
as a kind of digital ticket.
apparel, Avery Dennison's developers focus less on
In this way, companies can store information about
connecting apparel to the wearer's body, but more on
materials,
the communication of apparel with the environment19.
recycling or warranty directly in the garment.
By means of integrated transmitters, the apparel can be
Furthermore, companies are enabled to offer the
identified and contacted. A football jersey would then
persons
also be the ticket to the football match in the stadium
corresponding additional products and services, for
and enables the person who wears it, to pre-order
instance once they enter a store. Clothing can connect
drinks with a special offer and to activate exclusive
to systems and apps in the direct environment and
content in the halftime. In the NikeConnect project,
communicate with e. g. cash register systems22. In the
individual offers and notifications to the favored team
future, the wardrobe will also know its exact contents
are offered the customer after registering their NBA
and, based on the personal preferences of customers,
jersey via an integrated NFC chip20. This allows the
can help them in their daily outfit choice and
jersey to be personalized and opens up individual
recommend matching items of clothing for purchase.
handling,
wearing
manufacturing,
their
connected
ownership,
apparel
possibilities for the person wearing it.
17
20
18
21
https://www.machina.cc/ http://www.businessinsider.com/the-militarys-iron-man-suit-called-talos-willarrive-in-2018-2015-10?IR=T 19 http://rbis.averydennison.com/en/home/our-solutions/apparel-and-footwearbranding/introducing-janela-smart-product-platform.html
https://news.nike.com/news/nikeconnect-jersey-app-guide https://brightbmbr.nyc/ https://www.wareable.com/smart-clothing/lyle-scott-contactless-paymentjacket-1605 22
7
These communications of clothing items with the
wearables. An interplay of appealing, aesthetic product
environment could be an interesting, yet feasible and
design, in which the wearer feels comfortable, and
cost-effective springboard for the fashion industry to
useful digital services and technical capabilities of the
take a major step into a digital future.
garment, can inspire enthusiasm and trigger positive
When it comes to interaction with apparel, companies
emotions between supplier and customer. Companies
such as Google and Levi Strauss have developed thin
that want to convince customers mainly with technical
and flexible threads made of conductive metal alloys,
innovations and focus on functionality instead of
which allow direct control of the garment. The threads
design must expect to remain a niche supplier. It is to
can be combined with a variety of natural and synthetic
be observed that the widespread and successful
fibers while retaining the weight and feel of a normal
adoption of Smart Clothes for both private and
yarn. This results in interactive textiles that activate
commercial applications, in contrast to "normal"
commands by means of gestures on the material. For
clothing, depends largely on the quality of additional
example, by wiping on the sleeves of the Levi's Trucker
digital services.
Jacket23 one can control the music playlist, start the
Alongside
navigation or receive calls on the smartphone.
engagement, design and technical characteristics,
In essence, Smart Clothes connect to other intelligent
Smart Clothes should also be "Disappearables" – the
items as part of the Internet of Things environment
technology used should be as unobtrusive as possible.
and can be controlled by direct interaction with the
Smart Clothing should be self-sufficiently supplied
garment.
with electricity or absorb the energy necessary from the
a
environment,
Challenges
balanced
it
inconspicuously
and
implications
for
companies Product requirements
should and
be
interplay
work
of
emotional
seamlessly
intuitively
and
controllable.
Cleaning the apparel should also be free of worries. The future of intelligent clothing is not just about measuring a person's biometrics, behavior and environmental impact. Rather, it is about combining the data and learn from it, use it in a meaningful way
In order to make intelligent clothing interesting for a
and create something really valuable for the customer
larger part of the population in the future and to fully
- a holistic service.
exploit its market potential, the product has to meet
The real winners in the Smart Clothes market will be
several requirements.
those companies and products that manage to generate
People utilize clothing alongside classical protective
a true added value through technical and digital
functions to represent themselves to the world and to
capabilities, style the product in an aesthetically
create, define and communicate their intended
pleasing, easy to use design and at the same time build
identity. In addition to hard factors such as price and
and maintain strong emotional customer loyalty with
function, the purchase decision for an apparel is often
their brand. Methods such as Design Thinking [16] or
based on weak factors such as strong positive emotions
Agile, with the possibility to look at complex problems
between customer, product and clothing brand. These
from the user's perspective with regularly feedback,
emotions are addressed by successful brands through
can be promising methodical approaches to design
targeted marketing activities. This implies that
product concepts and business models for wearable
building an emotional link between brand and apparel
tech.
is critical to the success of Smart Clothes and 23
https://atap.google.com/jacquard/
8
Business Model Like all industries who face the opportunities and risks of the digitization, the fashion industry should
influence over producers and service providers. Whereas in the past it was mainly producers and service providers that determined supply, today's
reconsider if the value of their products for the
markets are more strongly influenced by customer
customer will arise in new ways.
demand. On the one hand, technological change has
The term business model has been known for a long
turned customers into well-connected and well-
time and basically describes how profits are generated in a company. The public and scientific consideration of business models increased due to new commercial possibilities in the course of the Internet revolution. Although there is no universally accepted definition of the term and scientists from varied areas use it differently, the business model describes a system of interdependent activities carried out by the company and its partners, as well as the mechanisms that link
informed actors who receive information through continuous Internet access on search engines and comparison portals and exchange information via social networks or messaging services. In addition, new players such as Google, Uber, or Amazon are successfully mixing up traditional markets with digital business models and are thus in a position to offer innovative additional services. All this is accompanied by a change in customer expectations: higher quality,
these activities [17]. Simply put, the three areas of value
individualized
proposition, value chain and revenue model are
comprehensive pre- and post-purchase services, free
examined and the following questions answered: What
shipping and innovative updates. In a nutshell: the
is the valuable offer to the customer? How and where is this offer delivered? Who is the customer and how do I communicate with him? How is revenue generated today and in the future and how are transactions carried out?
products,
prompt
delivery
and
digital age gives customers more power than ever before and demands a lot more attention from suppliers [18]. Those who want to assert themselves in the struggle of their favor should focus their business model entirely on the customer and adapt if necessary. These changes in the value proposition entail a shift of resources in the value chain, since, for example, the IT and software departments are becoming increasingly relevant and long-established processes no longer work in the same manner. Start-ups have the advantage that their organizations’ design and business model is born digitally and therefore don't need a profound transformation of their structures. Established companies will find it much more difficult to adapt their value chains, as this requires a profound rethinking of the corporate culture and structure. Agile project management, horizontal and vertical cross-
Figure 8: Business model. Source: Own illustration
departmental cooperation, collaboration with thirdparty vendors and a trail and error culture are just a
Nowadays, the digitalization is forcing companies to reconsider the most important areas of their business models. The value proposition segment is currently undergoing radical changes, as customers have steadily gained
9
few of the necessary enhancements for a successful digital value chain and organizational structure
24.
advice or fitness and lifestyle coaching). The customer pays for the service and is equipped with an intelligent
However, the digitization and interconnection of
item of clothing. A service provider such as Weight-
products enables companies to realign and scale their
Watchers could provide customers with a Smart Shirt
revenue models, such as shifting costs to third-party
that measures physical activity and create personalized
providers, platform and subscription models, pay-per-
nutritional and training plans. Thus, revenue is
use and consumption-based billing or freemium
generated over the entire life cycle of the product and
models.
becoming
can be expanded and adjusted. This type of service
increasingly interesting due to the possibilities of
model (Clothes-as-a-Service (CaaS)) would not only
services that can be offered by intelligent products.
help to subsidize the device, but would also strengthen
Companies have always had to adapt to change, but
long-term relationships with the brand and create
while this transition used to take years and decades,
additional distribution channels for devices.
automated information processing shrinks the time
Businesses
span for these processes to just a few months and
expectations towards Smart Clothes. It will not be
requires ever faster and more agile adjustments. The
enough
digital age thus drastically accelerates the necessary
aesthetically
learning and adaptation phases. In order to develop a
quantified data. Companies will need to combine
successful digital business model in the long term,
compelling experiences and services with tasteful
companies must therefore develop and cultivate one
designs and digital business models to build and
thing above all else: their ability to learn.
maintain an emotional connection with customers.
These changes resulting from the digitization have
Technical aspects
These
revenue
models
are
affected many traditional sectors of the economy for several years and have yielded interesting business models. In the fashion industry, this trend is clearly evident in new internet-based sales channels and platform providers. However, a large part of the product range has only changed in design, material and color combinations for many years. Now there is the opportunity for companies to rethink their products and business models to disruptively change the traditional fashion industry with technically equipped Smart Clothes. Fashion companies need to reconsider several aspects of their activities - for example, it is questionable whether the one-off purchase of a garment remains the most promising profit model for fashion companies in times of digitalization. If the value for the customer comes from a service, one could, for example, offer products free of charge in combination with an associated ecosystem of services (e. g. nutritional
to
need
to
understand
develop
technically
pleasing
products
consumers' advanced
that
or
generate
Smart clothes mostly comprise of intelligent textiles (Smart Textiles), i. e. materials that have additional capabilities in comparison to normal textiles. Smart textile fabric usually has a material base such as cotton, polyester or Kevlar. Smart textiles are characterized by electrically conductive fibers that are combined with electronic components such as microprocessors or miniaturized textile-based sensors and actuators. They react to certain physical or environmental conditions, collect and send data and can perform certain actions. Integrated
textile
solar
cells,
fluorescent
and
electroluminescent elements, flexible buttons and haptic feedback systems are available. Companies such as Toray, Panasonic, Covestro, DuPont, Toyobo and numerous start-ups already supply the necessary materials. Biomimetic, i. e. the imitation of natural materials such as spider threads or leather in the laboratory, will continue to drive this field forward. Moreover, it is significant for Smart Clothes that it's
24
https://www.computerwoche.de/a/die-sechs-punkte-einer-gutendigitalisierungsstrategie,3331571,2 - Dietmar Matzke
10
materials are durable and washable, which is still a
Established
major challenge for companies today.
production, marketing and industry 4.0 approaches
Sensor technology has developed rapidly in recent
(Smart Factory Adidas26), will remain relevant in the
years due to the increasing demand for mobile devices
short- and medium term, because a significant impact
that require smaller, more precise multidimensional
of Smart Clothes is reaching far in the future. However,
sensors. The most important sensor developments and
their expertise in production and marketing should
technological
miniaturization,
already today be combined with approaches from new
drastic reductions in production costs and increased
actors in the market who offer technical solutions for
reliability. However, more and better sensors also
data transmission and processing. A decisive factor in
cause an increased amount of generated data and, due
the coming years will therefore be a mutual exchange
to transfer and processing, an increased power
of experience between experts (designers, engineers,
consumption. Energy-efficient technical components
production technicians) from different industries
and a reliable power supply are decisive factors for a
(clothing manufacturers, hardware suppliers, data
successful product. Approaches towards respective
scientists, software providers, cloud providers) in
energy storage challenges include thermogenerators, i.
order to jointly develop new products, services and
e. the conversion of body movement into electricity,
business models.
textile solar cells or inductive charging possibilities in
Particular attention should be paid to the following
conjunction with woven and flexible batteries such as
points:
advances
include
fiber super capacitors [19]. Using transmission
•
companies
with
competencies
in
At an early stage, clear use cases should be
technologies such as GSM, Bluetooth, NFC or RFID the
created for the customer and verified for
data is sent to reception systems. A major technical
feasibility and acceptance (Minimum viable
challenge, not only for Smart Clothes, but also for
products).
interconnected device infrastructures in general, is the
•
Partnerships
and
mutual
exchange
of
heterogeneity of data and platforms and the lack of
knowledge
standards.
companies, designers, software developer,
Data
security
problems
such
as
unauthorized data access and DDos attacks also affect
will
be
crucial
(Technology
manufacturers, Cloud providers)
the entire IoT area25, which is why these problems
•
should be solved holistically.
A cultural transformation towards an agile digital culture (business model, project management) must be pursued in established companies. This requires new collaborations
Conclusion
and methodical competence.
The fashion industry will undergo profound changes in
•
their product development caused by innovative
of an overall system of devices and services
technical possibilities. Sensory, actuators or interactive
and should be embedded holistically.
textiles enable apparel with currently unknown capabilities. To meet resulting requirements of the future Smart Clothes market, companies should reconsider their business models. Multidisciplinary collaborations and agile project management will be necessary
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605755/
to
meet
customers’
Smart Clothing should be considered as part
The decisive success of Smart Clothes is still several years far off. However, it is already worthwhile to think about the requirements of this market and review business models.
expectations.
https://www.industry-of-things.de/iot-security-ein-optimierungsproblem-a-
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https://www.economist.com/news/business/21714394-making-trainers-robotsand-3d-printers-adidass-high-tech-factory-brings-production-back
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Author: Oliver Behr
[email protected]
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