nir-vana innovation network

The Dutch company is a start-up and is the owner of an EU patented wearable, thin, double side, single layer fabric, fully customizable to shield the human body against electromagnetic (EM) waves.

The product has been developed and tested by a European quality institute and the shielding properties have been verified.

Nowadays, people live surrounded and ‘submerged' in a sea of radio waves emitted from every electronic device (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellphones, smartwatches, wireless technologies).
Amongst all electronic devices, cell phones are used most extensively in our society, and often remain close to the body throughout the whole day and are proven to effect with biological processes.

Shielding fabrics and materials have already been used in garments. EM shielding fabrics on the market today are not comfortable to wear, expensive, not customizable, and thick (generally made with more than 2 layers).

Because of its unique construction, the Dutch company's fabric can be easily implemented in existing products without interfering with their aesthetic, functionality, weight and thickness (for example jackets, trousers, t-shirts, bags, bulletproof vests, coats etc.)
Garments for every-day use with shielding properties have not yet been commercialized due to the lack of innovation in the shielding textile industry. The SME aims to realize trousers, jackets, underwear and other garments where the inner part of the pocket (the one towards the body), as well as other crucial part of products, are made with the shielding textile. This allows the realization of garments able to protect the human body from everyday exposures of electromagnetic radiations.

Men will be able to store their phone inside the pocket of their trousers knowing that the pocket will protect the radio waves emitted from the cell phone (while maintaining the reception and functionality of the phone).

Parents will be able to protect their new-borns from radio waves emitted from cellphones, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and baby monitors, by covers or clothes specifically designed for comfort, hygiene (the textile can be realized with a silver-coated fibre with antibacterial properties), style and protection.

The company is now looking to realize and optimize the textile and to give the company insights not only for the development of tailor-made fabrics for the before mentioned applications, but it will also allow the realization and research necessary to implement such textile into workwear for specific applications such as protection for workers exposed to EM fields.

The SME is open for different types of collaboration and is looking for an industrial partner active in the garment industry, who would be interested in implementing this technology in their (working)garments under a license agreement or joint venture agreement. The company is also interested in other forms of cooperation, including R&D projects bids under programmes such as Horizon Europe, Eurostar's, European Light Industries Innovation and Technology (ELIIT) among others.

Advantages & innovations

The company is addressing an emerging and fast-growing market, still relatively unexplored. The SME is the owner of a European patent for a single layer fabric able to shield the human body against electromagnetic waves. The textile is created in such a way that the single layer can present different yarns in the sides of the single layer fabric. This allows the creation of a thin, single layer shielding fabric that can be put in direct contact with the skin (for instance using a cotton side and a technical side). This makes the textile one of the world's softest and more versatile shielding textile. Because of its unique way of production, this shielding textile is: − Thin (does not interfere with the style / functionality of existing garments) − It can be easily implemented in existing clothing. − Tunable (its versatile production allows the realization of textile with high / low shielding properties, as well as thicknesses that range from “as thin as women's tights/stockings” or “as thick as a sweater”) − Single-layer (does not require the creation of a “sandwich-like” textile, as it currently happens in the market) − Double sided (one side is conductive and the other can be realized with more comfortable fibers like cotton, wool, synthetic or others).

Stage of development

Prototype available for demonstration

Partner sought

The company is looking for production partners who want to implement the shielding textile in finished product, design of garments under a license agreement or joint venture agreement. The shielding fabric can be easily incorporated into everyday clothing for consumers. The company has identified 4 main industrial markets to focus on for which the fabric can be of increased benefit for the health and safety of the employees in the following fields: * Telecom market: Is a constantly evolving and growing market. It is also a sector in which workers are exposed to high levels of electromagnetic (EM) radiation from working in very close proximity to transmission towers during installation and maintenance. With the projected expansion of 5G in Europe by 2024, this market has a large growth potential where by the fabric can provide an innovative benefit in providing workers with protective equipment whilst working in close proximity to electromagnetic radiation transmitters, whereby EM frequencies are the strongest. * Police/defense: While fulfilling their duties, police and defense personnel are in constant proximity of radio equipment held close to their body to stay in constant communication with each other. Therefore, they are - more than the general population - exposed to a constant stream of EM radiation. The company can provide a solution by incorporating a radio-shielding fabric into the pockets of bulletproof vests. The shielding textile technology can make this possible as the fabric itself is very thin and can even be incorporated into other fabrics. * Health: Although Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines do not emit ionizing radiation, they still produce strong EM fields. Moreover, developments in MRI technology have led to increasing strengths of EM fields to improve the imaging capabilities of the instruments. However, this leads to increased exposure of health care workers to increasingly strong EM fields. The shielding fabric can provide lightweight and comfortable shielding into health care worker clothing to protect them from this radiation. * Garments: It is a multi-billion-dollar market where people are becoming more and more aware of the issue with radio waves. Producers will be able to implement this textile at a low cost in already existing garments e.g. trouser/jacket pockets and others. The Dutch company is open for different types of collaboration including R&D projects bids under Horizon Europe and European Light Industries Innovation and Technology (ELIIT) proposals or other international partnerships by establishing a research cooperation agreement.