This disclosure provides electrically conductive materials, including electrically conductive textile materials, such as woven or knitted fabric textiles, individual fibers, and woven fibers and yarns. The conductive materials comprise a substrate material, such as a textile or other suitable material, and a metal embedded in the substrate material, in particular where the metal is embedded into and below the surface of the material. Also provided are methods of making the electrically conductive materials.

An encapsulated electrotextile includes at least one electrotextile strip and at least one elongated wire. The at least one electrotextile strip and the at least one elongated wire are laminated between two encapsulation films.

A conductive tape formed by laying a conductive pathway on a tape layer is disclosed. Various apparatus and methods for laying conductive pathways to form conductive tape are disclosed. The conductive pathways may be laid by varying the lateral position of the conductive pathway on the tape substrate. Such patterns all stretchable conductive tape to be realized. Multiple conductive pathways may be laid in the tape and the lateral separation of the pathways in the tape may vary. In some embodiments the pathways are formed from conductive yarn or by printing or laying conductive ink.

A smart functional leather assembly includes a leather substrate, an electronic circuit layer including one or more conductive traces and optional electronic elements arranged on the leather substrate, optionally a pigmented coating arranged on the circuit layer, and an optional anti-soiling layer arranged on the pigmented layer. The entire smart functional leather assembly, including the circuit, are embossed to provide an embossed smart functional leather assembly with an embossed pattern.

In some embodiments, an apparatus comprises a biosensing garment and an electronics assembly. The biosensing garment includes a sensor, a conductive pathway, and a connection region including one or more connectors that are disposed on a PCB. The connection region is electrically coupled to the conductive pathway and the sensor. The connection region is further configured to be electronically coupled to the electronics assembly via at least one conductive contact. In some embodiments, the electronics assembly includes at least one conductive contact that is configured to be electronically coupled to at least one portion of the PCB.

Embodiments include circuitry and circuit elements such as contact arrays for harvesting power and soft connectors and patches for connecting flexible and stretchable soft circuits.

A flexible and/or stretchable structural system for transmitting electrical signal between first and second rigid portions comprises a body structure and said first and second portions arranged to said body structure. The modulus of elasticity of said first portion is lower than the corresponding modulus of elasticity of said second portion. In addition the modulus of elasticity of said body structure is lower than the corresponding modulus of elasticity of said second portion. The system comprises also an interface portion, such as e.g. an electrically conducting fabric, textile or knit, which is arranged to said body structure and between said first and second portions. The interface portion electrically connects said first and second portions. The modulus of elasticity of said interface portion is lower than the corresponding modulus of elasticity of said second portion.

A yarn adaptable to incorporation into a textile comprises a core including one or more electrically conductive traces arranged on the core and distributed over at least a portion of the length of the yarn. The yarn also comprises an electrically contactable terminal arranged at a terminus of the one or more conductive traces and a winding wrapped around the core.

This disclosure provides a stretchable conductor structure, a garment with a stretchable conductor structure, and a method for producing a stretchable conductor structure. The conductive structure includes a set of conductive wires and a stretchable laminate. The set of conductive wires, each including a protective surface, the set of conductive wires patterned in a mesh structure to accommodate a manipulation while providing electrical conductivity across the set of conductive wires. The stretchable laminate encapsulates the mesh structure, the stretchable laminate can return the mesh structure of the set of conductive wires to an original state after the manipulation.

The disclosed haptic vibrotactile actuator may include a textile comprising a first major surface and a second, opposite major surface, an electrode coupled to the first major surface of the textile across at least a majority of a surface area of a first surface of the electrode, and a flexible electroactive material electrically coupled to a second, opposite surface of the electrode. Various other related methods and systems are also disclosed.