From the Sector

Can textiles that touch the skin relieve long-term pain? This is the core question of the large interdisciplinary research project Touch away the pain, where the University of Borås is one of the central actors. The project, which will run for six years, is part of the Swedish Research Council's investment in interdisciplinary research environments. 

Nils-Krister Persson, Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer at the Swedish School of Textiles, University of Borås, who is responsible for the textile development in the project, said, “We want to find out what actually happens in the body when you activate the sense of touch. Is it possible to create artificial touch that people actually want to experience, to reduce long-term pain? Is it possible to replicate touch from another person?”

Textile technology meets neurophysiology
The project brings together researchers from the University of Borås, Linköping University, and Region Östergötland. Together, they investigate how artificial touch, created with the help of textile actuators, can affect the body's pain signals.

“We have a long history of developing textiles that actuate, what we sometimes call textile muscles. They can thus exert force on their surroundings or change their shape. Now we are looking at how this technology can be applied in pain treatment,” said Nils-Krister Persson.

Håkan Olausson, Professor of Clinical Neurophysiology at Linköping University Hospital, who is participating in the project, commented, “We have discovered special receptors in the skin that convey pleasure when touched. They can lower stress levels in the nervous system, perhaps through mechanisms involving oxytocin. These are the ones we are trying to activate using textiles.

What happens in the body when touched?
His research colleague Sarah McIntyre, Associate Senior Lecturer and touch researcher at Linköping University Hospital, explains that touch and pain are not separate systems in the body; rather, they interact.

“The nervous system processes signals from both pain and touch at the same time, and they affect each other. We're trying to understand how it works, and how we can use that knowledge to design wearable aids that relieve long-term pain,” said Sarah McIntyre. “We will start by understanding the patient’s needs. What do they want help with? What feels good? This is a good starting point for the whole project.” 

The technology behind the textiles
Edwin Jager, Professor of Sensor and Actuator Systems at Linköping University, is working on the technical development of the project.

“We are developing two technologies in parallel, pneumatic actuators and textile actuators. Textiles are particularly promising because they can be integrated into clothes and used discreetly in everyday life,” said Edwin Jager.

“Imagine sitting in a meeting, and at the touch of a button or via an app you activate a textile that gives you pain relief, without anyone noticing. That's where we want to go,” he explained.

Clinical application in focus
Nazdar Ghafouri, Senior Consultant and pain researcher at Linköping University Hospital, is responsible for the clinical part of the project.

“We will start by testing on people without pain and then move on to patients. There is already a lot of research that shows that touch can relieve pain, but we want to find out what kind of touch, for how long, and where it works best,” she said.

She continued, “This is really interdisciplinary and we are constantly learning from each other. This is my first time at the Swedish School of Textiles, and I find it to be a fantastic environment characterised by creativity, humanism, and concern for sustainability. I believe that we in healthcare have a lot to learn from the creative approach in design and technology, especially when it comes to problem solving and daring to think outside the traditional framework.”  

Next steps, from lab to patients
The project is still in its start-up phase, but the researchers plan to start testing prototypes soon. First, tests are carried out in a lab environment, then in clinical studies.

“We've been working for about six months and are still in the start-up phase. But there are already about fifteen people involved, and more are coming. It is a large and exciting project,” concluded Nils-Krister Persson.

Getzner Textil AG, specialists in technical textiles made for a wide range of applications, announced the launch of their new getzspace® three-dimensional weaving technology. 

getzspace® will allow brands to create next generation technical clothing - performance and protective apparel - by reducing the need for seams in pockets and reinforcements. New garments made with the getzspace® technique aim to be more comfortable and more durable, all while reducing waste from the cut-and-sew process. 

getzspace® works by enabling three-dimensional structures such as pockets and reinforcements to be integrated directly into the textile surface, without the need for seams and stitching. The result is high-performance textiles with low weight and high resilience, opening up new possibilities for the design and functionality of modern performance and protective workwear.
 
Getzner Textil will introduce the new getzspace® technology at the Functional Fabric Fair in Portland this fall. Getzner will also present a wide selection of other fabrics during Functional Fabric Fair, underscoring the diversity of their product line and high standard of functionality, comfort, and safety, all developed through decades of textile manufacturing resource-efficient production processes in Europe.

“With over 200 years of experience creating textiles for everything from African fashion and workwear to soundproofing and materials for hot air ballooning, Getzner is set to help revolutionize how technical woven textiles are produced,” said Lukas Berthold, Getzner Sales Manager for North America. “By reducing the need for seams and stitching on pockets and reinforcements, apparel using the getzspace® process will be even more durable and comfortable, all while allowing for new design possibilities.”

With effect from January 1, 2026, the Freudenberg Performance Materials brand will replace the Filc brand, and the name of the company will also change from the same date. The new brand presence concludes the successful integration of Filc in Freudenberg Performance Materials. 

Filc joined Freudenberg Performance Materials in 2020 and this shared identity will now also be reflected in the joint brand presence: the Freudenberg Performance Materials brand will replace the Filc brand. “The joint brand presence is the final step in the successful integration of Filc. It not only underscores our shared identity, but also brings a decisive advantage, in that Filc will be able to benefit even more from the strength of the Freudenberg brand. Our unchanged goal is to reinforce the sustainable success of our customers through innovative products,” Anže Manfreda, SVP at Filc, explained.

Change in the company’s name 
The name of the company will also change effective January 1, 2026: “Filc d.o.o.” will in the future operate under the name of “Freudenberg Performance Materials Filc d.o.o.” For customers and suppliers, the only changes relate to the company’s address and the name of the bank account holder.