When people think of adding conductivity to textiles, thoughts typically turn toward weaving conductive threads into the fabric. However, Loomia Technologies believes that there is a better approach, and its customers are in agreement.

That approach is the Loomia Electronic Layer (LEL), a soft, flexible e-textile circuit that allows users to add a wide range of functionalities, including lighting, heating and switching. The circuit is then integrated into the surface of the textile through a variety of means, including lamination, sewing or by a pressure-based adhesive.

It is a unique approach to e-textiles, which makes sense considering the history of Loomia, which began as a design and engineering studio.

“Loomia was started originally as a studio called ‘The Crated’ that was working at the intersection of design and engineering,” said Madison Maxey, founder and CEO of Loomia. “Many of our customer projects required a soft, flexible circuit that we couldn’t find on the market so we developed the Loomia Electronic Layer to serve our own need.”

Today, Loomia is working in a number of key markets, including automotive, outdoor gear, health and wellness and industrial applications. While most of Loomia’s LEL’s are customized for specific projects,  some of its standardized products for prototyping, including pressure sensors, buses and user interfaces, are already commercially available.

“You can see our components for sale on Digikey, Sparkfun and Adafruit,” Maxey noted.

Maxey noted that Loomia isn’t what one would think of as a traditional e-textile, as it is not produced with conductive threads or by printing. The circuit also does not use wires, and its multi-axis flex allows it to bend multiple times while maintaining its functionality.

“Loomia’s technology isn’t printed or made of conductive thread,” Maxey said. “We use a unique conductor that makes our product have great electrical and mechanical properties.”

One key is Loomia’s scalability. Eastprint produces the Loomia Electronic Layer, and can manufacturer up to 20,000 parts weekly at its ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 certified facility. Another is its performance; Loomia reports that its LEL provides higher efficiency that previous solutions. The company noted that the LEL offers higher heating efficiency for automotive applications than current products with lower current pull.

Wearables have come a long way from their early days, which consisted of clever devices with limited functionalities.

“Wearables are becoming much more real,” Maxey observed. “People are focused now on solving problems with wearable rather than making splashy gadgets. We’re excited to see how the space continues to form over the next few years.”

Maxey sees plenty of opportunities ahead for Loomia.

“In the next five years, we hope to be in cars, medical devices and more,” Maxey concluded. “We hope to see our product making impossible products possible across industries.”