Mechanical models and actuation technologies for active fabrics: a brief survey of the state of the art

This chapter presents a survey of reported mechanical models of fabrics, as well as of technologies currently available in order to confer actuation properties to fabrics. The modelling of base mechanics of fabrics is here reviewed as a useful tool for a proper design of future new compliant actuators capable of being integrated into a textile substrate. The embedding of such devices into fabrics is studied in order to confer them actuation properties, functional to one or more barrier effects, such as active filtration. To this aim, state-of-the-art technologies for actuation of fabrics are reviewed and discussed in the light of such new applications.