Asha Peta Thompson
Alma materBirmingham City University
Central Saint Martins
Employer(s)Brunel University London
Intelligent Textiles Limited
Known forInventing smart textiles
Wearable technology

Asha Peta Thompson is a British entrepreneur and textile designer. She is the co-founder and director of Intelligent Textiles, who create wearable technology including e-uniforms for infantry.

Early life and education

Peta Thompson studied fashion at Birmingham City University. She enjoyed crochet and knitting. She joined Central Saint Martins for a master's degree in textile design.[1] She worked with a special needs school to develop textiles that could be used to support children with autism.[2][3] She developed a wheelchair cover with textile pressure sensors that could prevent pressure sores.[4]

Career

Peta Thompson develops electronic textiles.[5][6][7] In 2002 she joined Brunel University London as a research fellow working on products for people with disabilities. Peta Thompson was based in the Brunel Design for Life Centre, where she began to work with industrial design lecturer Stanley Swallow.[8] Together the pair developed a Talking Waistcoat, which included fabric sensors, for people suffering from cerebral palsy.[2] Peta Thompson was not convinced by the bulky electronic devices that people with cerebral palsy had previously used, and began to explore conductive thread.[9] The waistcoat included sensors that allowed people with cerebral palsy to access computers. Whilst demonstrating their product at a European trade show, Peta Thompson and Swallow met Australian Wool Innovation, who were interested in working with organisations that could use Australian wool.[8][10] They began to manufacture conductive fabrics using a weaving mill that belonged to John Lewis & Partners.[8] In 2002 they formed a spin-out company Intelligent Textiles Limited.[2][11] Intelligent Textiles Limited has partnered with Lincoln Fabrics, a Canadian factory, as well as a weavers in Lancashire to manufacture their materials.[8] At first they operated out of a small studio in London, working with a clothing company to integrate an MP3 player into a jacket.[2]

Peta Thompson learnt that soldiers have to carry over 60 AA batteries and often suffer from tangled charging cables.[12] Instead, Intelligent Textiles Limited looked to develop electronic textiles that could be retro-fitted into military uniform.[13] They own over 17 patents and several trademarks.[14][15] Limited Peta Thompson pitched their idea, Broadsword, to the Canadian Armed Forces.[16] The United States Army and United States Marine Corps also became interested.[16] They were supported by BAE Systems and the Centre for Defence Enterprise.[8][9] Their e-uniforms significantly reduce the weight carried by infantry, and went into trials in 2015.[17][18]

She has appeared on The Bottom Line and BBC Woman's Hour.[19][20]

References

  1. ↑ "Intelligent Textiles: how solutions find their problems - Intellectual Property Office blog". ipo.blog.gov.uk. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Digitize Your Clothes: Look Smart in Intelligent Textiles". www.wipo.int. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  3. ↑ "Innovation: Let's hear it for the girls". MPA Group. 3 May 2018. Archived from the original on 22 February 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  4. ↑ Kettley, Sarah (14 July 2016). Designing with Smart Textiles. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 9781472569158.
  5. ↑ Ion, Dame Sue (13 April 2015). "Where are all the female innovators?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  6. ↑ Thompson, Asha Peta; Swallow, Stan S. (2001). "Sensory Fabric for Ubiquitous Interfaces". International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction. 13 (2): 147–159. doi:10.1207/S15327590IJHC1302_4. S2CID 14936457.
  7. ↑ Lee, Tommy. "Starting smart with e-textiles". T.EVO News. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "UK innovators: ready to launch". Financial Times. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  9. 1 2 Innovate UK (9 September 2014), Intelligent Textiles - reducing the weight burden of soldiers, retrieved 21 February 2019
  10. ↑ "Warm reception for seriously smart yarn". The Sydney Morning Herald. 24 May 2003. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  11. ↑ Geczy, Adam; Karaminas, Vicki (1 November 2018). The End of Fashion: Clothing and Dress in the Age of Globalization. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781350045064.
  12. ↑ "Stuff Talks #3 – the knitter who's creating military-level wearable tech". Stuff. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  13. ↑ Tyler, Richard (24 January 2011). "Small firms pioneer military technology". Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  14. ↑ www.technicaltextile.net. "Intelligent Textiles, Fabric Technology, Smart Use of fabrics". www.technicaltextile.net. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  15. ↑ "Asha Peta-Thompson Inventions, Patents and Patent Applications - Justia Patents Search". patents.justia.com. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  16. 1 2 "Smart fabrics for 21st century Soldiers". The Manufacturer. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  17. ↑ Curtis, Sophie (7 March 2014). "Wearable tech: the small British companies taking on Samsung and Google". Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  18. ↑ Bearne, Suzanne (3 August 2015). "Is wearable technology set to take over our wardrobes?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  19. ↑ "The Bottom Line - Wearable technology". OpenLearn. Archived from the original on 22 February 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  20. ↑ "BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, Nandi Bhebhe, Julie Burchill, Knife crime, Innovation, Lake District". BBC. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
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