Covestro has partnered with Germany’s FILK Freiberg Institute and Optotransmitter-Umweltschutz-Technologie (OUT) e.V. to develop a flexible, conductive polymer platform designed to embed sensors and LEDs directly into textiles without conventional wiring, the companies said in a joint statement.
The collaboration responds to a broader push across the smart textiles market to weave electronic functionality into healthcare, personal protection, sportswear and automotive applications, sectors where developers have long sought alternatives to the rigidity and complexity of embedded wiring systems.
The project, carried out under Germany’s Industrielle Gemeinschaftsforschung program and funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, set out to create a uniform conductive “potential field” across a textile surface rather than relying on fixed conductor tracks. The approach is intended to let developers distribute multiple LEDs and sensors more freely across a garment, addressing a longstanding constraint in wearable electronics design.
To achieve the necessary balance of conductivity, elongation and flexibility, FILK and OUT e.V. built a conductive film using water-based Impranil polyurethane dispersions supplied by Covestro, incorporating carbon nanotubes as the conductive additive. Laser structuring of the resulting polymer surface allowed the researchers to fine-tune the material’s electrical properties, enabling LEDs and sensors to be positioned across the fabric without traditional wiring layouts. The embedded sensors can actively control the LEDs and support real-time monitoring and two-way communication through modulated voltage or Bluetooth, depending on the intended application.
Dr. Martin Heise, deputy head of the functional layer systems department at FILK Freiberg Institute, said the goal was to rethink how electronics are integrated into textiles by building a conductive surface rather than relying on fixed wiring. He said the Impranil-based approach allows sensors and light sources to be distributed far more freely, opening the door to new smart textile designs.
Also Read: KARL MAYER Launches RJ 4/2 EL For Premium Lingerie & Sportswear Production
Dr. Iris Vela-Wallenschus, project manager at OUT e.V., said distributed electronics, real-time sensing and bidirectional communication within a flexible textile substrate mark a meaningful advance for wearable technology, adding that the level of adaptive functionality achieved would be difficult to replicate with conventional wiring.
One of the platform’s first proposed applications is a sensor-controlled bodysuit for treating neonatal jaundice through phototherapy. Standard treatment currently relies on blue light at roughly 455 nanometers delivered via hospital incubators. A bodysuit integrating blue LEDs and sensors directly into the fabric could continuously track therapy progress and adjust light intensity and distribution in real time, potentially supporting more flexible treatment settings with input from midwives, according to the institute.
Beyond neonatal care, the companies said Impranil PUD-based formulations could be applied to heated textiles, pressure sensors and flexible conductor tracks for wearable electronics. The system is also designed to be compatible with scalable manufacturing methods such as digital printing, which the partners said could support broader adoption across sportswear, automotive interiors, protective equipment and connected IoT devices.
Dr. Torsten Pohl, global head of textile coatings at Covestro, said the project demonstrates how material innovation can unlock new textile functionality, crediting the company’s water-based polyurethane dispersions with providing the flexibility, durability and processability needed to turn a complex concept into a scalable platform. He said Covestro was proud to support FILK and OUT e.V. in developing a system with applications ranging from neonatal care to the broader wearables market.
A demonstrator of the sensor-controlled newborn bodysuit will be on display at Techtextil 2026 in Frankfurt from April 21 to 24, at the Covestro booth in hall 11.0. Visitors to the fair will be able to see how the laser-structured film distributes LEDs across the textile surface, one of the first public showcases of the technology since the project’s completion.
Covestro reported sales of 12.9 billion euros in fiscal year 2025 and operated 46 production sites worldwide with roughly 17,600 employees at the end of that year. FILK Freiberg Institute specializes in flexible multilayer polymer materials, while OUT e.V., founded in 1991, focuses on optoelectronics, environmental technologies and sensor development.