Revolutionary “smartwear”: artificial intelligence-infused fibres will provide support for people with limited mobility

A Canadian-led group of engineers, textile manufacturers, and fashion designers are teaming up to create unique, supportive clothing that could benefit billions of people around the world who live with limited mobility.  

Co-designing a Smartwear Revolution is a project led by nominated principal investigator Vivian Mushahwar that recently received a New Frontiers in Research Fund 2024 Transformation grant worth $24 million over six years.

“The crux of it, the invention, is that there will be fibres inside your clothes that are going to change their shape and stiffness to provide physical support and assist with your intended movement,” says Mushahwar, a University of Alberta professor in the division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

“There will be artificial intelligence interwoven in the fabric, so the clothing will adapt to you. The fibres will detect what you want, do that action, and learn from you over time,” she explains.

Mushahwar is overseeing an interdisciplinary team of 64 researchers and collaborators from across Canada, the United States and Europe. It includes artists, people with lived experience and social justice advocates, who bring valuable perspectives to the project about how to make clothes that work for all bodies, at an affordable price.

An answer to an unmet need

When people with lived experience reflect on their injuries, they tell Mushahwar that the most difficult part is being isolated from their community—not being able to participate in their usual activities like work, school or leisure.

With smartwear, “the idea is to help people be part of their community for as long as possible, to continue to work if that’s what they choose,” she says.

There is a growing need for new ways to help people live independently, as Canada’s population ages. Older adults (aged 65 and up) will make up 25% of the Canadian population by 2050. Already, uneven access to assistive technology means that some people—especially in remote and rural communities—aren’t getting the support they need when it comes to rehabilitation.

Mushahwar says the smartwear can be worn preventatively as well, to physically support people who are at a higher risk for workplace injuries, such as nurses who are lifting patients and straining their backs. She has also been approached by people in charge of athletics programs, rescue workers and tradespeople about the clothing.

The game-changing potential

One important collaborator on the project is Chloë Angus, a Vancouver-based fashion designer who has been living with a spinal cord injury since 2015.

“The best doctors looked at me and said, ‘you’re never going to walk again.’ It doesn’t matter how it happens or when it happens in your life, it’s shocking,” she says.

After her injury, Angus channelled her energy into learning about assistive devices. She went on to co-design an award-winning exoskeleton that allows her to stand up, walk and even dance.

Angus was excited to join the team to support both the technical and design aspects of the project. While smartwear isn’t a replacement for her exoskeleton, it can offer critical support when she’s in her wheelchair and help to prevent secondary injuries.

“When using a wheelchair, you use your shoulders for mobility, and they burn out really fast. A lot of people end up needing to have one or both shoulders reconstructed through surgery, which takes a long time to recover from. Smartwear could help give that extra bit of power and support when you’re pushing,” she says.

While function comes first, the fashion designer in Angus also likes to imagine new features like colour-changing threads. She’s most excited about designing universal pieces of clothing like a T-shirt or a vest—everyday items that can offer people significant support.

“That’s smart clothing everybody could wear and love, especially if it changed colour.”

A badge of honour

The smartwear team has already demonstrated they can create fibres that change their shape and stiffness. From here, the project will proceed in three phases: supporting posture and injured joints; augmenting arm movements; and augmenting standing and walking. The team will collaborate with industry partners to get smartwear products manufactured and approved for sale in Canada before the end of the funding period.

“We have our work cut out for us, but the technology is here, and the time is now. People need this,” Angus says. “Seeing Canada lead the smartwear revolution is really exciting, and a real badge of honour.”