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Editor’s note: The University of Delaware is diligently working to enhance infrastructure and support available to campus innovators. As part of this effort, the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Accelerating Research Translation program (NSF ART program) at UD is investing in capacity-building resources to boost the translation of UD research discoveries into novel technologies of benefit to Delawareans and the nation. UD is an inaugural member of the NSF ART program.

For thousands of years, our clothing has primarily been used for protective and aesthetic uses. University of Delaware inventor Sagar Doshi thinks apparel is capable of more. He wants to make our clothing smarter, so that we can get more information about how we move.

Why is this necessary? About 3 million Americans undergo physical therapy each year to recover from injuries such as a ligament tear, or after surgery, such as a knee replacement. 

Doshi, a research scientist at the Center for Composite Materials (CCM) and a research assistant professor of mechanical engineering, is developing next-generation wearable technologies with the ability to provide physical therapy clinicians and athletic trainers with useful data to make data-driven decisions about their patient’s or athlete’s recovery. 

The UD-developed nanomaterial-based sensors embedded in Doshi’s wearable technologies contain carbon nanocomposites, which are over 1,000 times smaller than a human hair and impart unique electrical properties when deposited on everyday fabrics like cotton, polyester or elastane. This allows the material to measure precise changes in human movement. Combined with the newest repair technologies, these novel sensors also have the potential to make our civil infrastructure safer, from bridges to pipelines. 

These are big aspirations for a technology that grew out of Doshi’s UD doctoral work. That early research led Doshi in directions he had dreamed about but wasn’t sure how to make happen … from inventor to patent holder to entrepreneur. He didn’t get there alone. He’s had significant help along the way.

As an Innovation Ambassador at UD, Doshi wants campus inventors to know how the UD innovation ecosystem has been there for him — and that this growing network is available to others, too.

Tell us about your invention.

Doshi: We are developing the next generation of wearable technology. The key problem that we are trying to address through this invention is providing improved techniques that clinicians, physical therapists and athletic trainers can use to measure progress or improvement for patients and athletes who are undergoing rehab after an injury. We are going beyond what Fitbit and smartwatches can do. The data our wearable technologies collect can help physical therapists, clinicians and athletic trainers to make informed and data-driven decisions for providing better care to patients and athletes so that they can safely recover faster.