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Page 16 of 35 Huang et al. Soft Sci 2024;4:40 https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/ss.2024.37

platform based on the SMN holds the potential to assist in the diagnosis of neurological disorders, such as
Parkinson’s disease and dystonia.

In everyday scenarios, human limbs may exhibit vibrations at approximately 1-3 Hz, whereas epileptic
[209]
seizures are characterized by vibrations at varying frequencies, reaching up to 7 Hz . Therefore, it is
possible to distinguish between the signals of normal movement and epileptic seizures by analyzing the
frequencies associated with different human behaviors. A self-powered, wearable epilepsy monitoring
system for potential epilepsy treatment is shown in Figure 6E . This system is capable of real-time
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monitoring of human motions and delivering neural stimulation signals to mitigate epileptic seizures. In
this system, the energy harvesting module converts mechanical energy generated from human motions into
electrical energy, with the rectifier subsequently charging the capacitors. The motion detection sensor
detects subtle human motions and transmits signals to the data processing center. The data processing
center can identify epileptic seizures and generate neural stimulation signals. As shown in Figure 6F, the
system operation successfully suppressed the epilepsy of the mouse. By stimulating the dentate gyrus of the
mouse with a stimulation electrode, the total duration of epileptic seizures in the mouse can be reduced by
40%-50% [Figure 6G and H].

The research findings highlighted the potential of merging textile electronics for human motion monitoring.
With the assistance of AI algorithms, a motion monitoring system based on textile electronics is equipped
to offer personalized health advice and exercise prescriptions to individuals.

Physiological monitoring
Textile electronics have revolutionized the conventional rigid design of physiological monitoring devices,
enabling the development of textile electronics that provide real-time, continuous, non-invasive, and
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comfortable monitoring of vital physiological signals . These devices stand out for their efficacy in
monitoring chronic conditions, including cardiovascular diseases and diabetes [192,212] . To intuitively
understand the applications of textile electronics in physiological monitoring over the past five years,
Table 2 presents a comprehensive overview of physiological monitoring devices with the materials
employed, the fabrication techniques utilized, the product developments realized, and the monitoring
locations.

ECG represents a medical diagnostic technique designed to capture the electrical activity of the heart.
Unlike the mechanical vibration sensing of acoustic sensors, ECG sensing is adept at detecting alterations in
the action potentials of cardiomyocytes. The integration of textile electrodes has become the cornerstone for
ECG monitoring, allowing for a more comfortable and continuous assessment of cardiac activity. In an
early study , emulating the traditional Yuzen dyeing technique of Japanese kimono, researchers employed
[229]
PDMS as a template to directly imprint conductive polymer patterns of PEDOT:PSS onto textiles, as
illustrated in Figure 7A. The textile electrodes were utilized for ECG recordings with the SandsResearch
system (EA68 or EA136 amplifiers) and a data processing module (LabView software). The realization of
the precise tracking of cardiac activity in motion [Figure 7B] and good stability in ambient air [Figure 7C]
represents a significant development to textile electronics for ECG monitoring applications.

EMG signals are typically acquired from the arms or legs [Table 2]. For instance, muscle activity monitoring
using a leg sleeve for detecting EMG signals is illustrated in Figure 7D . For EMG recordings, the textile
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electrodes and reference electrodes were connected to a wireless EMG acquisition system that included a
wireless transmitter and a BIOPAC system with a wireless receiver. Then, the results were shown on the
user terminal through an Ethernet connection. Moreover, an investigation into embroidery techniques for