Plug-and-Play Wearables: A Repositionable E-Textile Garment System to Support Custom Fit for Lower-Limb Rehabilitation Applications

Fit of an e-textile garment has become increasingly important as more advanced wearable technology applications demand precise placement of sensors and actuators. Human anthropometry is complex and varied, and for many applications, a single e-textile garment cannot accurately fit a variety of users. One such example is lower-limb rehabilitation applications, which rely on precise placement of sensors and actuators with respect to joints and muscles for each individual user. Here, we present the development of a multi-layer, stretchable, flexible e-textile system, which affords quick and easy repositioning of components on the garment surface. Beyond custom fitting, this infrastructure also affords dynamic functionality of the garment, by adding and replacing sensors and actuators to enable a wide variety of applications.