State-of-the-art knitting machine donated by Shima Seiki, as part of the Shima Seiki Haute Technology Laboratory.
For the past three years, Assistant Professor and Fashion Design Program Director Genevieve Dion of Drexel University’s Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design has focused her research on identifying production methods that advance the field of wearable technology. Following the signing of a groundbreaking, $1 million agreement with Shima Seiki USA, Dion will now have the state-of-the-art laboratory to conduct research for the development of new smart textiles and wearable technologies, and to explore new methods of production that will ultimately impact a number of market sectors.“The Shima Seiki Haute Technology Laboratory positions Drexel to become a national and global leader in the new and innovative field of smart textiles,” said Dion. “It is rich in possibilities for improving and enriching lives around the world."Smart garments – or wearable technology – are clothing made of fabric embedded with technology. Smart garments have the potential to give written and spoken messages or monitor and communicate physiological parameters such as breathing and vital signs. Embedded technology such as flexible circuitry, flexible antennas and adequate power source are key components to the reliable and successful operation of wearable technology.The Shima Seiki Haute Technology Laboratory is a multidisciplinary research initiative established by Dion and professors from Drexel’s College of EngineeringThe iSchool at DrexelCollege of MedicineCollege Nursing and Health Professions and the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems