Smart Textile Development - connected garments & integrated sensors
Washable, production-ready smart textiles: biometric sensors, embedded electronics, from prototype to series
From technical brief to industrialized connected garment - with one team
Does your project involve integrated textile sensors, actuators or a complex e-textile architecture? AQ-Tech masters the full chain: e-textile architecture design, ECG/EMG/IMU sensor integration, firmware development, prototyping, washability validation and industrialization.
In Europe, very few engineering offices simultaneously master mechanical engineering, washable embedded electronics, firmware and technical textiles. At AQ-Tech, these four disciplines work together from the first meeting - for reliable, washable and reproducible connected smart textiles.
The 6 expertise areas of the AQ-Tech Smart Textile division
From sensor to finished product: AQ-Tech intervenes across the full smart textile development cycle.
Integrated textile sensors
ECG, EMG, IMU, respiration, pressure and temperature integrated into the textile.
- + Knitted, screen-printed or hybrid electrodes
- + Multipoint IMU for biomechanical analysis
- + Pressure, respiration (RIP) and skin temperature sensors
Integrated textile actuators
Haptic vibration, active heating, electrostimulation and light inside the garment.
- + Haptic actuators for tactile feedback and guidance
- + Washable heating wires and resistors
- + EMS/TENS electrodes for muscle stimulation
Connected garment development
E-textile architecture, functional pattern-making and active component integration.
- + Definition of the sensor–actuator–firmware architecture
- + Ergonomic design and selection of technical materials
- + Conductive tracks, conductive yarns and flexible modules
Smart textile product integration
Overmolding, washable connectors and flexible mechatronics for the final product.
- + Overmolded textile connectors resistant to washing
- + Silicone encapsulation and multi-layer lamination
- + Robust and reproducible textile–electronics interface
Smart textile prototyping & validation
Complete functional prototypes, signal tests, washability and fast iterations.
- + Multi-material assembly: textile, electronics, overmolding
- + ECG/EMG/IMU testing, 25–100 cycle washing campaigns
- + Validation of ergonomics, comfort and signal repeatability
Smart textile industrialization
Reproducible processes, quality control and CE/MDR files for series manufacturing.
- + Definition of textile–electronics assembly processes
- + Quality control protocols and series washability validation
- + Industrial documentation, BOMs and CE/MDR preparation
E-textile architecture
Conductive tracks, electrodes, miniaturized modules and textile connectors.
Sensors & actuators
ECG, EMG, IMU, pressure, respiration - haptic, heating, EMS.
Prototyping & testing
Full assembly, signal tests, washability 25–100 cycles, endurance.
Industrialization
Reproducible processes, quality control, CE/MDR files, series production.
Our integrated e-textile approach
A successful smart textile project relies on coherence between textile architecture, embedded electronics and firmware. At AQ-Tech, these three disciplines are mastered in-house - which eliminates information loss between contributors and ensures signal reliability from the first prototype.
We work under systematic NDA to protect your developments. Response within 48 hours.
A few smart textile projects we delivered
Van Rysel
Connected cycling vest with smart insulation: wearable inflatable plus embedded electronics, industrialized by AQ-Tech for the Decathlon Van Rysel brand.
T-Shirt Monitoring
Connected t-shirt for biomarker and motion monitoring: smart-textile sensors, embedded electronics and washable architecture developed by AQ-Tech.
Clinatec
Transcranial photobiomodulation cap for Clinatec medical research: integrated textile-electronics architecture and LED matrix engineered by AQ-Tech.
From validated prototype to your first production runs
Once your smart textile is designed and validated, AQ-Tech can manufacture it - from 10 to 500 pieces, in our Sillingy workshops (Haute-Savoie, France). Textile, electronics, firmware: the same team, from prototype to production, with no loss of knowledge.
The expertise that powers smart textile
A successful smart textile is always the result of several disciplines
At AQ-Tech, smart textile is born from the convergence of embedded electronics, technical textiles and mechanical engineering. These three expertise areas are mastered in-house, ensuring product coherence from prototype to series.
Electronics & firmware
Custom boards, physiological signal acquisition, embedded firmware and BLE/Wi-Fi connectivity.
Technical textile
Material selection, knitted or woven structures, functional pattern-making and conductive yarns.
Mechanical engineering & integration
Overmolding, design of textile–electronics interfaces, mechanical validation of the final product.
Smart textile applied to your sectors and services
AQ-Tech develops smart textiles for medical and wellness (continuous physiological monitoring, MDR textile devices), sports and performance (biomechanical analysis, smart protection) and industry (augmented PPE, posture and fatigue detection).
Our specialized engineers support your project from architecture definition through functional prototyping and industrialization - with a single point of contact throughout development.
We also develop mechatronic and flexible solutions related to our Technical Inflatable Systems (airbag, custom TPU structures) and Functional Textile applications, for products combining both smart textile and active functions.
Frequently asked questions about smart textile
Which European company can design a smart textile with integrated sensors, washable and ready for series production?
AQ-Tech is one of the few European companies bringing together in-house the four disciplines required for a production-ready smart textile: mechanical engineering, embedded electronics, firmware and technical textile. Based in Sillingy (Haute-Savoie, France), AQ-Tech designs the e-textile architecture, integrates sensors (ECG, EMG, IMU, pressure, respiration), develops firmware, prototypes the functional product, validates washability (25 to 100 cycles) and industrializes series from 10 to 500 pieces. A single team supports the project from concept to series, eliminating information loss and ensuring signal reliability and product reproducibility.
What is a smart textile (e-textile)?
A smart textile is a textile-based product integrating sensors, actuators, conductive tracks or miniaturized electronic modules. It can measure physiological signals (ECG, EMG, respiration), detect motion, heat, stimulate or interact with its environment. The difference from a conventional technical textile: a smart textile embeds active connected functions, not only mechanical properties.
What types of sensors can be integrated into a smart textile?
AQ-Tech integrates a broad range of sensors: ECG and EMG electrodes, 6/9-axis IMU (accelerometer, gyroscope), pressure, respiration (RIP) and skin temperature sensors, and resistive or capacitive strain sensors. Each architecture is defined according to the use case, positioning and expected reliability - taking into account washing and ergonomic constraints.
How do you guarantee the reliability and washability of a smart textile?
Reliability relies on combined protection methods: silicone overmolding, encapsulation, multi-layer lamination, reinforced textile connectors, selection of wash-compatible materials. All products are validated through mechanical testing (tensile, flexion, abrasion), repeated washing campaigns (25, 50, 100 cycles) and ECG/EMG/IMU signal measurements before and after cycles.
Can you produce complete smart textile prototypes?
Yes. AQ-Tech manufactures functional prototypes in-house, integrating the textile, sensors, embedded electronics, firmware, overmolding and connectors. These prototypes are used to validate signal, ergonomics, durability and integration - with the same team that designed the system. This avoids any information loss between the engineering office and the workshop.
Do you work on medical textiles subject to MDR regulation?
Yes. We support medical textile device projects integrating physiological sensors (ECG, EMG, respiration, temperature). We contribute to the preparation of the technical elements required for CE/MDR certification: architecture, risk analyses, test protocols, industrial documentation and BOMs. We do not handle the certification itself but build a solid technical file.
What are typical lead times for smart textile development?
Lead times vary depending on the complexity of the sensor, textile and firmware. Generally: 2 to 6 weeks for study and architecture, 4 to 12 weeks for functional prototyping with testing, 3 to 6 months for pre-series and industrial preparation. We adapt the schedule to project maturity, time-to-market constraints and regulatory requirements.
Is a complete specification required to start?
No. We can start from a functional need, a concept or an informal idea. We help structure the technical specifications, identify usage constraints, select sensors and define the e-textile architecture from the very first working sessions. This upstream phase is often decisive for project success.
Can you integrate our existing electronics into a textile?
Yes. We can use your existing electronics or design a custom board. We adapt the textile, mechanical interfaces and connectors to ensure compatibility, washability, mechanical robustness and signal quality. An NDA is systematically signed before any technical exchange on your proprietary components.
Your smart textile project
ECG/EMG sensors, haptic actuators, connected garments or medical textile devices: AQ-Tech supports you from concept to industrialization. Systematic NDA, response within 48 hours.
