Smart clothes could be reality with nanowire sensors

Nanowires could be stitched into your clothes to detect movements

Future of wearable tech? Scientists have created flexible sensors using silver nanowire that could detect your movements on the go.

Scientists based at North Carolina State University have already used the sensors to monitor thumb and knee movements while a test subject was walking, running and jumping.

The nanowires could potentially be stitched into your clothes to detect movements while flexing your body.

The silver nanowire-based conductors work like a mobile's touchscreen for capacitance, or electrical charge, but can flex up to 150 per cent more than their original length.

As they're pushed or pulled the capacitance is changed and can be measured.

Ultimately the sensors could be fitted into sports clothing with an app to offer feedback on range of movement, strain and pressure.

For example the sensors could be linked with an app to monitor stretching for weight lifting with stats and advice available for improvement and evading injury.

Whilst the Xbox One Kinect can monitor you're training at home in of the sensors, smart clothes could potentially track your every movement on-the-go.

One of the scientists, Dr Yong Zhu, said: "They could also be used to create robotics that can 'feel' their environment, or the sensors could be incorporated into clothing to track motion or monitor an individual's physical health."