Electronic Textiles and their Applications in Military Uniform

Abstract

Uniform fabric is the first layer that touches the soldier's body and therefore it is an important factor in ensuring his comfort, as it combines protection and personal comfort. Many studies and researches that deal with the production of functionally appropriate uniform for soldiers from several aspects have been conducted, whether in terms of design, fabrics used, or applicable modern production methods.

Examining the issue of military uniform, it became clear that the issue of electronic military uniform is a fertile field for scientific studies. Nevertheless, there is a clear gap in Arab scientific research in this field that has not yet been studied extensively to demonstrate the extent of its role in serving and enhancing security for military personnel. In light of this, the research sheds light on the concept of military electronic textiles, identifying the applications of electronic textiles used in military devices, in addition to studying the functional design requirements of military uniform, and clarifying the design difficulties that can prevent integration of electronics into military electronic textiles. In order to achieve the research objective, the descriptive-analytical approach was applied. The research found many significant results, the most important of which is that incorporating electronics into military textiles helps achieve levels of performance and capabilities that have not been achieved before on the battlefield, and that the design of military uniform has become more complicated due to the changing nature of the risks, which have become variable and unpredictable. It is hoped that this study will be a modest contribution to this field as it reveals the theoretical framework for electronic textiles in the field of military uniform.