KYMIRA Ltd and Dycotec Materials
Seamlessly integrating flexible, durable biosensors into sportswear
The challenge
We worked with Dycotec Materials and KYMIRA Ltd to develop smart sportswear for professional athletes.
Wearable electronics offer a remarkable opportunity for tackling the societal challenges of healthy ageing, rehabilitation, personal monitoring, and workplace safety. Keen to capitalise on this growing market, KYMIRA and Dycotec had been working together to develop synergistic, early-stage technologies for integrating high-performance biosensors into sportswear.
We supported them with embedding electronics for remote sensing into a fabric product, with the ambition to make the garment as flexible, hardwearing, and comfortable as conventional clothing. After all, fewer environments are tougher on clothes than the inside of a washing machine.
![](https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/smart-hoopoe/production/content/images/Insta-Cycle.jpg?w=800&h=450&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1668002945&s=b90ea7eb1e63673e71d6ed1d464e97cd 800w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/smart-hoopoe/production/content/images/Insta-Cycle.jpg?w=480&h=270&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1668002945&s=cec69be6e6ecc4f75e82bee40970408c 480w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/smart-hoopoe/production/content/images/Insta-Cycle.jpg?w=960&h=540&q=45&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1668002945&s=4e4a250263367ae037a5b9c7cf32c04d 960w)
“As an SME with limited resources, CPI has provided crucial access to state-of-the-art equipment, expert knowledge and support. We’ve worked with their team in a commercial capacity, but also on two separate research projects facilitated through Innovate UK grant funding – in every case, our team felt we were receiving exceptional service and partnership, and I would be happy to recommend them as a collaborator.”
![Phil Kunovski Phil Kunovski](https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/smart-hoopoe/production/content/images/Phil_Kunovski.jpg?w=100&h=100&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1667220348&s=287c021205f0ee3a4f58aa73d793b93a)
How CPI helped
- Worked iteratively to assess and characterise Dycotec’s materials at a functional level.
- Developed, tested, and fine-tuned the washability and durability of inks and adhesives.
- Optimised circuit design to pair the functionality of off-the-shelf-components with printed flexible circuits.
- Upscaled the manufacturing process and improved device robustness.
![](https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/smart-hoopoe/production/content/images/KYMIRA-case-study.jpg?w=1920&h=1080&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1668083162&s=e5598a2b7f9e8472554a279dfc68e15e 1920w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/smart-hoopoe/production/content/images/KYMIRA-case-study.jpg?w=1120&h=630&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1668083162&s=a8e62b1bfc4ca72b36f4320def05a222 1120w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/smart-hoopoe/production/content/images/KYMIRA-case-study.jpg?w=800&h=450&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1668083162&s=a269eff6f16d1bc5bb62e597159c97cb 800w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/smart-hoopoe/production/content/images/KYMIRA-case-study.jpg?w=1600&h=900&q=45&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1668083162&s=9c1b08d173fced5035c1402a92311ffa 1600w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/smart-hoopoe/production/content/images/KYMIRA-case-study.jpg?w=480&h=270&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1668083162&s=49bfb265964d0e95fa918607bda1e909 480w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/smart-hoopoe/production/content/images/KYMIRA-case-study.jpg?w=960&h=540&q=45&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1668083162&s=d973dfe909c352ace1b6baa5825129ba 960w)
Achievements
- Integrated and assembled commercially available electronics into components that could be screen printed.
- Developed a scalable prototype that improves exercise and supports recovery from injury.
- Produced a sportswear demonstrator with an inertial measurement unit for reporting the orientation and movement of limbs.
- Produced a prototype for demonstrating its potential as a medical device.
Impact
We advanced a simple prototype into a fully fleshed-out sportswear demonstrator. CPI’s wearables expertise converted a rigid, bulky circuit board into a printable, thin-form circuit joined by stretchable, conductive connectors. These were passed to KYMIRA for their garment specialists to invisibly embed into sportswear.
The key functionality of the garments arises from inertial measurement units, which measure the angle and movement of joints with accuracy to rival the most sophisticated motion capture labs. These sensors report on the effectiveness of exercise and can correct movement, prevent injuries, and assist athletes with injury rehabilitation. KYMIRA is already working with elite sports teams eager to trial the first products, including British Rugby and the NFL.
The project team also explored using the invisible, flexible, and stretchable circuitry in wellness and healthcare, such as for biosensor-embedded garments that measure heart activity. The consortium is planning to develop these exciting HealthTech applications further.
Partners
![KYMIRA](https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/smart-hoopoe/production/content/logos/Kymira-logo.png?w=400&h=400&q=100&fm=png&fit=crop&dm=1668606409&s=4e14f06edb5fe155ccb58ae2bc30a1b8)
![Dyotec Materials](https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/smart-hoopoe/production/content/logos/Dycotec-Logo-New.png?w=240&h=86&q=75&fm=png&fit=crop&dm=1667220522&s=f78ced0cc68ecb3dc9f5b178df78636e)
Related
Technologies
![](https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/smart-hoopoe/production/content/images/cpi-printed-electronics.jpg?w=1920&h=1080&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1642432657&s=e88234fb50ddf19be7dceeb1f4f00b96 1920w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/smart-hoopoe/production/content/images/cpi-printed-electronics.jpg?w=1120&h=630&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1642432657&s=2e2ba8f8b2788b0d6b86b27774bac3ef 1120w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/smart-hoopoe/production/content/images/cpi-printed-electronics.jpg?w=800&h=450&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1642432657&s=8f83e4e71e9e4fbffdc6dfd11cdfbd5f 800w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/smart-hoopoe/production/content/images/cpi-printed-electronics.jpg?w=1600&h=900&q=45&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1642432657&s=0c21471252066dfab9a318e06612c395 1600w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/smart-hoopoe/production/content/images/cpi-printed-electronics.jpg?w=480&h=270&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1642432657&s=7b2f3126b3e41fe63ca3e279934c511f 480w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/smart-hoopoe/production/content/images/cpi-printed-electronics.jpg?w=960&h=540&q=45&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1642432657&s=cf6a36e9a1c910994358fc15ec1a4751 960w)