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Page 2 of 35 Huang et al. Soft Sci 2024;4:40 https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/ss.2024.37

sector, integrates textile technologies with electronic engineering principles to facilitate the generation,
transmission, assessment, and modulation of electronics on fibrous substrates [9-11] . Characterized by their
inherent softness, comfort, breathability, and washability, textile electronics have been extensively integrated
into various applications, particularly in human health monitoring [12-15] .

Health is fundamental to human survival and development, and health issues present societal concerns and
scientific challenges. The advent of textile electronics has ushered in a new era for adaptable health
monitoring solutions within consumer electronics markets [16,17] . These advanced devices integrate functional
fibers to facilitate the transmission of information between the human body and the surrounding
environment, as well as in vivo and in vitro, with exceptional interactive capabilities [18-20] . In contrast to
conventional thin-film patch sensors, textile-based health monitoring systems offer superior breathability
and enhanced wearability, which are essential for comprehensive large-scale sensing capabilities [18,21,22] .
Textile electronics for health monitoring can be realized through two primary pathways. The first approach
involves directly affixing electronic components onto the surface of textiles or integrating them as hybrid
electronic elements within the textiles [23,24] . Subsequently, flexible or fabric circuits are employed to establish
wired connections between microelectronic components and textiles. The alternative approach entails
producing fibers with electronic functionalities, which are then woven into textiles [25-28] .

[29]
Research on textile electronics for health monitoring dates back to the 1960s and 1970s , with the
introduction of concepts such as shape memory fiber materials and intelligent fiber materials, which laid the
groundwork for the field. Most textile electronics were developed by attaching electronic components to
[30]
textiles using the first approach in the early stage . For example, the Georgia Tech Wearable Motherboard
was developed in 1999, and the firefly dress was created by the MIT Media Laboratory around 2000 [23,31] . In
the early 2000s, the EU-funded project WEALTHY developed a textile sensor system to monitor patients’
physiological signals, such as electrocardiograms (ECG) and breathing, in real time [32-35] . This system
represents a significant advancement in the use of textile electronics for medical health monitoring.
Subsequently, more textile electrodes for physiological monitoring arose, and textile electronics with
wireless personal area networks were progressively utilized in health monitoring [36,37] . In 2012, researchers at
Ohio State University developed textile antennas and circuits with a precision of 0.5 mm . Subsequent
[24]
advancements improved this precision to 0.1 mm, representing a significant milestone in textile
[38]
electronics . These wearable antennas can transmit and receive digital information, significantly enhancing
communication capabilities for health monitoring systems [24,39-41] . With advancements in internet
technology, cloud computing platforms have been incorporated into textile-based health systems for
efficient processing of health big data. Subsequently, smart platforms based on various functional fibers
have been successfully developed for electromyography (EMG) and sleep monitoring [42,43] . These studies
demonstrate that textile electronics obtained through the second approach not only maintain the comfort
and functionality of traditional clothing but also integrate advanced electronic functions, contributing to the
realization of a fully electronic textile system. In recent years, the development of smart textile electronics
has entered a flourishing stage [44-48] . Machine learning algorithms and advanced integration technology have
greatly advanced the intelligence and integration of health monitoring systems [49-52] . Figure 1 illustrates the
above evolution of textile electronics in health monitoring applications. Moving forward, the realization of a
fully textile-based health monitoring system will be a primary research direction. It is anticipated that textile
electronics will transform human lifestyles through real-time health management and remote medical care,
in conjunction with AI, human-computer interaction, and cloud computing technology.

In this review, we systematically introduce innovative textile electronics and summarize their latest
advancements in health monitoring systems. We begin with an overview of the materials utilized in textile