The global smart textile market is projected to expand at a remarkable CAGR of 30.80 per cent during 2015 to 2023. Smart textiles are fabrics that come embedded with electronics that are connected with each other.

The use of nanotechnology has grown tremendously in the smart textile industry due to its valuable and unique properties. It enables textiles to become multifunctional and supports embedding electronic components into the fabric. In addition to this, nanotechnology supports the production of fabrics that come with special functionality such as water and stain resistance, UV protection, and anti-bacterial.

Smart textiles are materials and structures that sense and react to environmental conditions or stimuli, such as those from mechanical, thermal, chemical, electrical, magnetic or other sources. The technology of smart textiles is an integration of almost all disciplines of applied sciences like textile chemistry, fiber technology, telecommunication, artificial intelligence, organic chemistry, electronics and instrumentation, molecular engineering and nanotechnology and biotechnology.

Smart textiles, however, are not just restricted to clothing and apparels. They extend to many other applications like automobiles, robotics, aircrafts, medicine and surgery. Military clothing that can change color in order to produce camouflage effects for protection uses smart textiles.