Li Guo

My research is centred on smart textiles and textile bioelectronics, with a particular focus on how textile materials and structures can interact reliably with the human body.

Textile bioelectronics refers to textile-based systems in which functional materials and sensing or stimulation elements are integrated into textile structures to interact directly with the human body. In such systems, textiles can function not only as garments or supporting structures, but also as electrodes, sensors, stimulators and body-contacting interfaces.

My research spans the different levels needed to develop such systems: from functional materials and textile electrodes, through human-textile interaction and physiological sensing, to personalised textile design, manufacturing and real-world applications.

Materials and textile bioelectronics

One part of my research develops and evaluates materials and textile structures for body-contact electrodes. Through the Marie Sklodowska-Curie project TextrodeMisc and related work, we investigate new electrode materials, dry and conformable electrode concepts, skin contact and adhesion, and methods for integrating functional materials into textile structures.

This materials research provides an important foundation for reliable long-term physiological sensing and for the development of wearable textile systems that remain comfortable and functional during repeated use.

Human-textile interfaces, predictive design and personalised manufacturing

My current research increasingly examines smart textiles as complete human-textile interfaces rather than as isolated sensors. This direction builds on my earlier Scan-to-Knit project, which I carried out as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Borås. The project marked an important starting point for my independent research trajectory by connecting 3D body scanning, personalised textile design and prosthetic applications.

In the newly granted Scan-to-Knit 2.0  project, we extend this research by combining textile engineering with modelling and data-driven methods. We study how body geometry, movement, textile mechanics, pressure and electrode-skin contact affect system performance, with the aim of moving from repeated trial-and-error prototyping towards more systematic and predictive approaches to textile design.

The longer-term aim is to establish design approaches in which body data, textile properties and functional requirements can be translated more systematically into reproducible and manufacturable textile structures.

Smart textiles for rehabilitation

Rehabilitation is a major application and validation environment in my research. Projects such as NeuRehab@home, HOPE and SMART have developed textile-integrated sEMG systems for home-based biofeedback and neuromuscular rehabilitation, including phantom limb pain and post-stroke upper-limb training. These applications provide a demanding real-world setting in which wearability, signal reliability, repeated use, and independent operation all matter. They also allow textile technologies to be evaluated not only as technical prototypes, but as systems that must function reliably in everyday life.

Research keywords

Smart textiles; textile bioelectronics; functional materials; textile electrodes; surface electromyography (sEMG); human-textile interfaces; wearable sensing; personalised textile design; digital knitting; rehabilitation technology.

Researcher's publications in DiVA (Digitala Vetenskapliga Arkivet)