An investigation of temperature-sensing textiles for temperature monitoring during sub-maximal cycling trials

Temperature-sensing textiles have been proposed for a variety of applications, including health monitoring and sports. Skin temperature (Tsk) measurements are an important parameter in performance sports and can be used to better understand thermoregulation during exercise. Currently, most Tsk measurements are taken using skin-mounted thermistors, which can be uncomfortable to the wearer, or thermal imaging, which can be difficult to implement and analyze. This work investigates the feasibility of using textile temperature-sensing electronic yarns (E-yarns) to measure human skin temperature during sub-maximal cycling trials. E-yarns were attached to commercially available cycling suits and measurements were recorded using both the E-yarns and the skin-mounted thermistors at rest and during sub-maximal cycling. Temperature readings were compared between the two temperature-sensing methodologies to determine the viability of using the temperature-sensing E-yarns for this application. Differences in the Tsk measurements as high as 5.9℃ between the E-yarns and skin-mounted thermistors for participants at rest have been shown. This work has also identified that a build-up of sweat significantly altered the Tsk recorded by the E-yarns in some cases. Further experiments explored the effect of saline solutions (simulating sweat) on the response of the temperature-sensing E-yarns. This work has highlighted boundary conditions for taking point Tsk measurement using electronic textiles.