LoRa Smart Jacket for Telehealth and IoT Applications

An e-textile garment integrating biometric sensing, solar-assisted power, wireless communication, and garment-integrated antenna technology within a practical wearable platform.

Project at a Glance

Development duration: 3–4 months
Development period: 2025–2026
Project type: Development Project
Client/Product Owner: Prof. Dr. Ir. Nurhayati, ST., MT.
Institution: Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia

Confidentiality Notice

This case study presents only non-confidential information approved for public discussion. Client-specific technical details, proprietary functions, commercial information, and other content protected under the project’s non-disclosure agreement have been intentionally omitted.

This product is the honored outcome of a research project entitled: Smart Clothing Integrated with Textile Antenna and Solar Cell Using LoRa Technology for Telehealth Monitoring and IoT Applications. This initiative was spearheaded by Prof. Dr. Nurhayati, S.T., M.T. from Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Indonesia, and generously funded by the Directorate of Research and Community Service (DPPM) under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek), pursuant to master contract number: 097/C3/DT.05.00/PL-MULTITAHUN LANJUTAN/2026 and derivative contract number: B/061594/UN38.16/LT.00/2026

From Concept to Functional Prototype

The project began with an early-stage, manually assembled jacket prototype. The objective was to transform the initial concept into a more practical, integrated, and application-focused functional garment.

E-Textile Wearables evaluated the original design, explored several technical approaches, and developed a refined product architecture capable of integrating sensing, communication, power, and control functions within a single wearable platform.

Concept design compared with the completed functional prototype.

Project Background

The client approached E-Textile Wearables with an early-stage, manually developed prototype and the objective of transforming it into a practical, higher-level functional prototype.

The intended application required multiple sensors, power-management components, wireless communication, and control technologies to be incorporated into a single garment while maintaining comfort, usability, and reliable performance under real-world movement.

The project therefore required a robust and serviceable product architecture capable of supporting the intended functionality while improving overall integration and practicality.

Development Objective

The main objective was to develop a wearable e-textile platform capable of supporting telehealth monitoring and IoT applications while integrating the required electronic systems into a practical garment structure.

Bold these items in the list:

Converting the manually assembled concept into a refined functional prototype
Integrating sensing, communication, power, and control functions
Improving the organization and placement of electronic components
Supporting reliable performance during movement
Creating an architecture capable of supporting future product improvements
Maintaining wearer comfort and garment usability

Our Development Scope

E-Textile Wearables carried out a rapid product-development program to evaluate multiple technical approaches and identify the most practical solution for the intended application.

Our scope included:

E-textile system design
Technology evaluation
Component sourcing
Concept refinement
Functional prototyping
Integration of sensing technologies
Solar-assisted power integration
Wireless communication integration
Controller integration
Garment-level product architecture development
Technical evaluation and design refinement

Several concepts and integration approaches were evaluated before selecting the most suitable architecture for the functional prototype.

Technology Integration

The jacket incorporated several sensing, communication, power, control, and textile-integration technologies within a single wearable system.

Biometric and Environmental Sensing

Sensors were integrated into the garment to support the client’s intended telehealth and monitoring functions, including temperature sensing where required by the application.

Textile Antenna and LoRa Communication

A garment-integrated textile antenna was incorporated to support LoRa-based wireless communication while reducing reliance on externally mounted antenna components.

Conductive Pathways

The garment required integrated conductive pathways to distribute electrical connections between sensors, electronic components, power sources, and control elements.

Interconnections

Reliable textile interconnections were required to connect the different components while supporting movement, garment assembly, and continued access to the electronics.

Power and Controller Integration

The design incorporated solar-assisted power, power-management components, and an integrated power and controller module to support the operation of the sensing and communication systems.

Garment Stack Integration

The electronic and textile components were organized through a structured stack integration approach to improve component protection, placement, accessibility, and wearer comfort.

Magnetic Connector Integration

A detachable magnetic connector was incorporated to support convenient connection and removal of the electronic module while maintaining a low-profile garment interface.

Key Jacket Features

The completed functional prototype incorporated:

Biometric sensing
Solar-assisted power capabilities
Integrated power management
LoRa wireless communication
Garment-integrated textile antenna
Mobile application integration
Controller integration
Wearable component architecture

Key Engineering Challenges

The project required several engineering challenges to be addressed:

Integrating sensing, power, communication, and control technologies into a comfortable garment
Maintaining reliable performance during movement and variations in garment fit
Organizing electronic components without significantly affecting wearability
Integrating the textile antenna into the garment structure
Managing the interaction between flexible textile components and conventional electronics
Developing a product architecture capable of supporting future iterations
Supporting access to components for maintenance and modification
Protecting client-specific and proprietary functions

These challenges were addressed through iterative prototyping, technical evaluation, component testing, integration trials, and design refinement.

Iterative Development and Refinement

The product was developed through an iterative engineering process.

The initial prototype was reviewed to understand the intended functions, component requirements, and limitations of the original configuration. Multiple integration methods and product architectures were then considered.

Prototypes were developed and evaluated to improve:

Component positioning
Garment comfort
Electronic integration
Power management
Communication performance
Sensor connectivity
Product serviceability
Overall system organization

The selected architecture was refined into a more practical, integrated, and application-focused functional prototype.

Project Results and Handover

The project progressed from a very early-stage, manually developed prototype to a more refined and application-focused functional e-textile prototype.

At project handover, the client received:

The completed functional prototype
Relevant technical documentation
Operating guidance
Supporting information for using the garment
Information to support future product improvements and modifications

The resulting architecture was designed to improve wearer comfort, functional performance, technology integration, serviceability, and overall usability.

The completed jacket incorporated sensing, power, wireless communication, control, and proprietary client functions within a single wearable platform.

Planning a Smart Garment or Connected E-Textile Product?

E-Textile Wearables supports the development of textile-integrated sensing, communication, power, controller, and wearable electronic systems from early concept evaluation through functional prototyping.

Discuss Your Project