Spring / Printemps 2017 29 breathing, and ensure the well- being and safety of the elderly. Wearable devices already on the market include brace- lets, watches and neck- laces, as well as athletic wear such as sports bras and shirts. We even have smart temperature stickers that monitor a child’s vital signs during sleep. The discrete form factors, flex- ibility and cost advantages of PE versus conventional electronics are crucial to make these devices and applications more practical and affordable. Another rapid- ly growing application area is smart garments and textiles. Take, for example,Vagalume—a kind of electroluminescent tech- nology that’s incorporated into athletic apparel for greater visi- bility and safety at night. Unlike other electroluminescents, it is paper-thin, flexible, fully Wearables, including smart garments for health and wellness Wearable technology has gone mainstream in a few short years. Many of us are taking advantage of devices worn on our person to enhance our athletic perform- ance, monitor health and fitness indicators such as heart rate and Sp Sp Spri i ring ng ng / / P Pri i i rint nt t tem em em mps ps p 20 20 0 017 17 7 17 29 29 29 T T T T T T T Th h h h h h he e e e e o o of f f f ff f f fi i i ic c c ce e e e r re e em ma a ad de e The conventional intelligent office Atypical office space has both ambient lighting and task lighting that can be adjusted to meet specific needs. The office also includes a light sensor that reduces the intensi- ty of artificial light in response to natural light, an occupancy sensor that shuts the lights off when no one is present, and a thermostat. In addition, there is a smoke/fire detector and an alarm annunci- ator to provide indication of a fire. Traditionally, each of these is a dis- crete component, hard- wired to a controller that provides localized con- trol, as well as to a build- ing-wide system for global control (for example, to set minimum and maximum allowable temperatures, to turn off the lights at night, and for the safety and security system). All this requires a relatively large amount of labour to install, wire and commission all the separate components. That office remade with PE Ambient lighting is replaced with a thin sheet of light (using either organic LEDs or an array of inorganic LEDs). The substrate containing the light- emitting layer also includes a daylight sensor, a printed occupancy sensor, and a printed temperature sensor. Local controls for providing daylight harvesting and occupancy control are printed on the substrate. This simplifies installation and wiring, and greatly reduces the local control burden on the central control system. Printed temperature sensors are tied into the heating, ventilation and cooling sys- tem and can also provide information to the safety system. The lighting is tied intothesafetysystemandisprogrammed to change colour and provide directional exit information in case of fire. Because functional electronics for these applications are printed, installation is simplified and costs are reduced. A further advantage is that the printed components are much thinner than conventional com- ponents. This allows for more usable space to be created within the building. How close to market is an integrated system such as this today? Flexible sheet lighting technology is already on the market. The sensors and other discreet PE components are in various phases of development with one-to-five-year time horizons. All this requires a relatively large amount of labour to install, wire and commission all the separate components. eating, ventilation and cooling sys- tem and can also provide information to the safety system. The lighting is tied intothesafetysystemandisprogrammed to change colour and provide directional exit information in case of fire. Because functional electronics for these applications are printed, installation is simplified and costs are reduced. A further advantage is that the printed components are much thinner than conventional com- The modern commercial building is morphing into an intelligent building at a rapid pace. Sensors, analytics, and controls using conventional electronics are already mainstream to improve efficiency, services, occupant comfort and safety.