EN ISO 17971:2025 – Screen-Touch Properties Test Instrument for Smart Textiles

EN ISO 17971:2025 - Textiles: Smart textiles - Test method for determining the screen-touch properties of fabrics specifies a standardized laboratory method to evaluate the ability of fabrics to interact with capacitive touchscreens. Adopted as a European Standard in 2025, it applies to all fabric types intended for touchscreen-enabled garments, gloves, sleeves, straps, and other wearable materials.

This standard provides reproducible, instrumented methods to verify whether a textile reliably activates capacitive displays.

Key Topics and Technical Requirements

Scope and Definition

Measures screen-touch property: the ability of a fabric to control a capacitive display via touchscreen induction.

Test Principle

Instrumented evaluation of specimens using a testing head.

Tests include single-point touch, multi-point touch, and sliding (line and circular) touch under standardized conditions.

Apparatus and Test Equipment

Mobile arm and stage for specimen positioning.

Reference touchscreen display.

Cylindrical test bar and force sensor.

Equipment must comply with IEC 62908-12-10 and IEC 62908-12-20.

Position resolution: 0.01 mm.

Conditioning and Atmosphere

Specimens conditioned and tested under standard atmospheres per ISO 139.

Test Procedures and Result Metrics

Control (blank) test, single-point, multi-point, and sliding tests.

Metrics include:

Deviation of precision.

Response ratio (single-point).

Adjacent touch distance (multi-point).

Linearity of touch response (sliding tests).

Reporting

Test report must include: specimen details, testing conditions, result metrics, and any deviations.

Informative annexes provide details on test equipment and extreme environmental conditions used in method development.

Applications and Users

Manufacturers of touchscreen-capable gloves, garments, and wearable textile interfaces.

R&D teams developing conductive yarns, coatings, or integrated textile sensors for touch interaction.

Textile testing laboratories and quality control departments verifying product performance.

OEMs and procurement professionals specifying acceptance criteria for touch-enabled textiles.

Certification bodies and standardization stakeholders evaluating compliance and performance claims.

Related Standards

ISO 139 – Standard atmospheres for conditioning and testing.

IEC 62908-12-10 – Touch displays: Measurement methods for touch and electrical performance.

IEC 62908-12-20 – Touch displays: Multi-touch performance.

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2026-01-07 17:58