'Plug and play' connectors used in soldier uniform prototype

Date: 2/4/2012

A number of 'plug and play' connectors are being used in the latest UK soldier uniform prototype.

Although the products are unlikely to be incorporated in the final design, they are playing an important role in helping Intelligent Textiles come up with lightweight clothing that does away with heavy cables and batteries, the BBC reports.

It is hoped the new kits, which have been displayed at an event organised by the Centre for Defence Enterprise (CDE), will be able to make use of electrically-conducting yarn that is woven in to the material.

The design could therefore provide servicemen and women with a single power source that allows them to move around more freely.

Asha Thompson, director of Intelligent Textiles, said: "What we do here is build in redundancy, so that if the fabric gets cut, damaged or torn, we still have a way of re-routing the data."

The CDE - which is aligned with the government's Small Business Research Initiative - has invested £234,000 in to the project in a bid to make movement for soldiers less restrictive.

Quadrant offers an extensive range of high quality connectors, supplying standard coaxial connectors for all standard cable groups.

Posted by Jason Page