|

Dr. Jan Zimmer

Head of Forster Rohner Textile Innovations, Switzerland

Dr. Jan Zimmer

Head of Forster Rohner Textile Innovations, Switzerland

Biography

Dr. Jan Zimmermann is head of the division Textile Innovation at Swiss embroidery specialist Forster Rohner AG. He received his diploma in Interdisciplinary Natural Sciences at the ETH Zurich and a PhD in Physical Chemistry from the University of Zurich.
Forster Rohner Textile Innovations develops and produces technical textiles based on embroidery technologies. Main focus is the integration of electronic functionalities into textile structures (Smart Fabrics/Intelligent Textiles).


The gap between conceptual prototypes and industrial production

The visions developed for Smart Fabrics or Intelligent Textiles 15 years ago have recently been overtaken by the global phenomenon of Wearable Electronics. Practice has shown that it is much easier to make hardware wearable (smartphones, smartwatches, activity trackers, etc.) than to implement functionality directly into “software” (textiles). Nevertheless, the quest is still on and the potential applications are without limit. Forster Rohner Textile Innovations has specialized in industrial production techniques for Smart Fabrics.
The talk will illustrate the possibilities and potentials and give insights into ongoing and successful projects with companies like AKRIS, Wearable Life Sciences, Osmotex, and others. The presentation will Focus on the development of Smart Fabrics from the viewpoint of a traditional textile manufacturer and will highlight the recent achievements in bridging the gap between conceptual prototypes and industrial production of smart fabrics.
Beside the talk he’s going to display at the exhibition a few projects/products that illustrate their expertise in the field of smart fabric production.