Together with the Welsh Centre for Printing and Coating (WCPC) at Swansea University, Haydale – an advanced materials group – has been awarded a contract by the English Institute for Sport (EIS) for the development of advanced wearable technology for elite athletes in training for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The first activities are already being made by incorporating Haydale’s materials into flexible, printable coatings, to be embedded into a range of clothing for elite athletes. Prototypes include wearable technology garments, which are to demonstrate form, technical functionality and the wearability aspects required by the athletes. Actual production for use by the athletes during their training and in competitions up to 2020 will take place next. The contract with EIS will bring Haydale’s wearable technology know-how in developing progressively smaller hardware components, quicker and cheaper printing techniques and methods of introducing these technologies into clothing manufacturing processes. In collaboration with WCPC, Haydale has developed and refined a range of proprietary printing inks. These inks fulfil a range of functions in sensing and conditioning, also providing the advantage of an ease of printing for use in the wearable technology market. A market which is growing rapidly