IEC 63203-101-1:2021

Wearable electronic devices and technologies - Part 101-1: Terminology

IEC 63203-101-1:2021 provides terminology frequently used in literature related to wearable electronic devices and technologies in the IEC 63203 series. This list includes wearable electronic devices and technologies, near-body wearable electronics, on-body wearable electronics, in-body wearable electronics, and electronic textiles.

Technologies et dispositifs électroniques prêts-à-porter - Partie 101-1: Terminologie

L'IEC 63203-101-1:2021 fournit la terminologie fréquemment utilisée dans les publications relatives aux technologies et dispositifs électroniques prêts-à-porter de la série IEC 63203. Cette liste comprend les technologies et dispositifs électroniques prêts-à-porter, l’électronique prêt-à-porter placée à proximité du corps, l’électronique prêt-à-porter placée sur le corps, l’électronique prêt-à-porter placée à l’intérieur du corps et les textiles électroniques.

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 28-Jun-2021
• ICS: 01.040.31 - Electronics (Vocabularies)
• ICS: 59.080.80 - Smart textiles
• Technical Committee: TC 124 - Wearable electronic devices and technologies
• Drafting Committee: WG 1 - TC 124/WG 1
• Current Stage: PPUB - Publication issued
• Start Date: 29-Jun-2021
• Completion Date: 16-Jul-2021

Overview

IEC 63203-101-1:2021 is an international standard published by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) that focuses on providing a comprehensive and precise terminology for wearable electronic devices and technologies. As part 101-1 of the IEC 63203 series, this standard consolidates frequently used terms found in literature related to various categories of wearable electronics including near-body, on-body, in-body devices, and electronic textiles. This terminology framework facilitates clear communication and uniform understanding within the wearable technology industry, research, and standardization activities.

Key Topics

• Wearable Electronic Devices: Devices designed to be located near, on, or inside the human body. The standard distinguishes these into:

  • Near-body wearable electronics – devices positioned close to the body without direct contact.
  • On-body wearable electronics – devices that directly contact the external surface of the body.
  • In-body wearable electronics – devices implanted or ingested inside the body.

• Wearable Electronic Technologies: Technologies relevant to the development and manufacture of wearable devices, covering components, materials, applications, and systems.

• Electronic Skin and Patchable Electronics: Definitions for devices mimicking the flexibility and elasticity of human skin, and those attachable as patches to the body.

• Biodegradable and Ingestible Electronics: Devices designed to dissolve after use for medical or monitoring purposes and those intended to be ingested orally.

• Conformable and Stretchable Electronics: Devices and materials capable of changing shape or operating under mechanical strain while maintaining function.

• Sensors in Wearables: Electronic sensors responding to physical phenomena such as touch, temperature, or vital signs, producing electrical signals for wearable device use.

• Electronic Textiles (E-textiles): Textile materials integrated with electronic components such as conductive fibres, yarns, and fabrics, along with definitions for smart textile systems that respond to environmental stimuli.

• Material Definitions:

  • Conductive fibres, yarns, and fabrics enabling electrical functionality.
  • Insulating fibres, yarns, and fabrics preventing unwanted electrical conduction.
  • Semiconductive materials with adjustable electrical properties between conductors and insulators.
  • Flexible and stretchable substrates enabling device conformability and durability.

Applications

IEC 63203-101-1:2021 terminology is critical for multiple stakeholders involved in wearable technology, including:

• Manufacturers and Designers: Helps standardize terminology to ensure consistency in product specifications, communication, and documentation related to wearable devices and materials.

• Researchers and Developers: Provides a shared language to facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration in developing innovative wearable technologies, such as electronic skin, biodegradable health monitors, and e-textiles.

• Regulatory Bodies and Certification: Supports clear regulatory frameworks by defining categories and characteristics of wearables for compliance and safety evaluations.

• Healthcare and Medical Technologies: Assists in the development and deployment of implantable and ingestible devices for body monitoring, therapy delivery, and wound healing.

• Smart Textile Industry: Enables clear categorization and specification of textiles integrated with wearable electronics for consumer and industrial applications.

Related Standards

• IEC 60050-151:2001 – International Electrotechnical Vocabulary concerning electrical and magnetic devices, providing foundational terms with updates integrated into this standard.

• ISO/TR 23383:2020 – Provides definitions and categorizations for smart textiles and supports terminology related to textile-based systems that show reactive behavior.

• IEC 63203 series – The larger series encompassing standards for wearable electronic devices and technologies, with part 101-1 focusing specifically on terminology to ensure alignment and consistency across related parts.

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This standard is essential for anyone working within the wearable electronics ecosystem, providing clarity, uniformity, and a comprehensive glossary to advance international cooperation, product development, and standardization of next-generation wearable technologies.

Standards Content (Sample)

IEC 63203-101-1 ®
Edition 1.0 2021-06
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
Wearable electronic devices and technologies –
Part 101-1: Terminology
Technologies et dispositifs électroniques prêts-à-porter –
Partie 101-1: Terminologie
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IEC 63203-101-1 ®
Edition 1.0 2021-06
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
Wearable electronic devices and technologies –

Part 101-1: Terminology
Technologies et dispositifs électroniques prêts-à-porter –

Partie 101-1: Terminologie
INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
COMMISSION
ELECTROTECHNIQUE
INTERNATIONALE
ICS 01.040.31; 59.080.80 ISBN 978-2-8322-9918-0

– 2 – IEC 63203-101-1:2021 © IEC 2021
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 3
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms and definitions . 5
Bibliography . 9

INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
WEARABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICES AND TECHNOLOGIES –

Part 101-1: Terminology
FOREWORD
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International Standard IEC 63203-101-1 has been prepared by TC 124: Wearable electronic
devices and technologies.
The text of this International Standard is based on the following documents:
FDIS Report on voting
124/144/FDIS 124/147/RVD
Full information on the voting for its approval can be found in the report on voting indicated in
the above table.
The language used for the development of this International Standard is English.
A list of all parts in the IEC 63203 series, published under the general title Wearable electronic
devices and technologies, can be found on the IEC website.

– 4 – IEC 63203-101-1:2021 © IEC 2021
This document was drafted in accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2, and developed in
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stability date indicated on the IEC website under webstore.iec.ch in the data related to the
specific document. At this date, the document will be
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
WEARABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICES AND TECHNOLOGIES –

Part 101-1: Terminology
1 Scope
This document provides terminology frequently used in literature related to wearable electronic
devices and technologies in the IEC 63203 series. This list includes wearable electronic devices
and technologies, near-body wearable electronics, on-body wearable electronics, in-body
wearable electronics, and electronic textiles.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following
addresses:
• IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/
• ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp
3.1
wearable electronic device
electronic device intended to be located near to, on, or in, a human body
3.1.1
near-body wearable electronic device
near-body wearable electronics
wearable electronic device intended to be located near a human body but which does not make
direct contact with its external surface
Note 1 to entry: Equipment that is not wearable (e.g. that operates in close proximity to the human body) is not
considered to be near-body wearable electronics.
3.1.2
on-body wearable electronic device
on-body wearable electronics
wearable electronic device intended to be located on the external surface of a human body and
which makes direct contact with it
Note 1 to entry: Portable equipment that is held in hand during use is not considered to be on-body wearable
electronics.
3.1.3
in-body wearable electronic device
in-body wearable electronics
wearable electronic device intended to be located inside a human body

– 6 – IEC 63203-101-1:2021 © IEC 2021
3.2
wearable electronic technology
technology related to the development of wearable electronic devices
Note 1 to entry: Examples: materials, applications, devices, components, systems or network.
3.3
electronic skin
wearable electronic device attached on human skin, the physical behaviour of which is close to
that of human skin (i.e. flexible and elastic)
Note 1 to entry: Some electronic skins might mimic certain functionalities of human skin.
3.4
patchable electronics
wearable electronic device or component that can be attached to the human body
3.5
biodegradable electronics
electronic device and component that naturally dissolve after proper functioning
Note 1 to entry: Examples of functions: body monitoring, wound healing, therapy delivery.
3.6
ingestible electronics
in-body electronic device or component that is ingested orally
3.7
conformable wearable electronic device
wearable electronic device able to change form or shape in response to the external
environment
3.8
stretchable electronic device
electronic device able to operate under stretched conditions and having an elastic behaviour
3.9
(electric) sensor
device which, when excited by a physical phenomenon, produces an electric signal
characterizing the physical phenomenon
Note 1 to entry: Sensors such as touch sensors, temperature sensors, motion sensors, vital-voltage sensors, or
electrocardiogram (ECG) sensors are specific types of sensors used in wearable devices.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-151:2001, 151-13-48, modified – Note 1 to entry has been added.]
3.10
stretchable substrate
stretchable material
substrate or material able to recover original size and shape immediately after the removal of
the extending force causing deformation
Note 1 to entry: In this document, the notion of "stretchability" is based on the elasticity of the substrate.
3.11
flexible substrate
flexible material
substrate or material able to be deformed under bending force to a certain point without causing
breakage
3.12
electronic textile
e-textile
fibre, yarn, fabric, or textile end product combined with at least one electronic component or
device
Note 1 to entry: Electronic devices, components and systems can be made at the levels of fibres, yarns, fabrics
and garments.
3.13
smart textile system
textile-based system which exhibits an intended and exploitable response as a reaction either
to changes in its surroundings/environment or to an external signal/input
[SOURCE: ISO/TR 23383:2020, 3.8]
3.14
textile electrode
electrode made of conductive fibre, conductive yarn or conductive fabric
3.15
textile capacitor
two-terminal textile material characterized by its capacitance
3.16
conductive fibre
fibre, such as staple or filament, having electrical conductivity
Note 1 to entry: Conductive fibre can be used for signal line, power transmission line, and electromagnetic shield.
Note 2 to entry: The conductive fibres can constitute conductive yarns.
3.17
conductive yarn
yarn having electrical conductivity
Note 1 to entry: Conductive yarn can be used for signal line, power transmission line, and electromagnetic shield.
3.18
conductive fabric
fabric, such as woven fabric, knitted fabric, or nonwoven fabric, having electrical conductivity
Note 1 to entry: Conductive fabric can be used at the level of signal line, power transmission line, and
electromagnetic shield.
3.19
insulating material
insulant
material used to prevent electric conduction between conductive elements
Note 1 to entry: In the field of electromagnetism the term "insulant" is also used as a synonym for "insulating
medium".
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-151:2001, 151-15-35]

– 8 – IEC 63203-101-1:2021 © IEC 2021
3.20
insulating fibre
fibre, such as staple or filament, used to prevent electric conduction between conductive
elements
Note 1 to entry: Fibre may also provide thermal, acoustic, or other types of insulation, but electrical insulation is
most relevant to e-textiles.
3.21
insulating yarn
yarn used to prevent electric conduction between conductive elements
Note 1 to entry: Yarn may also provide thermal, acoustic, or other types
...