An Ilkley company is leading the way in developing smart fabric which can sense pressure and movement.

Wronz EuraLab Ltd has received a grant of £280,000 from the Department of Trade and Industry to develop the high-tech material which could be used by athletes and spacemen.

The company, which is part of a New Zealand-based firm, says the material could also be used to help car drivers and hospital patients.

The smart material could be used to make intelligent bed sheets in hospitals which monitor the patient's movements and adjust to reduce bed sores and other problems.

Car drivers could be safer too, as the material could be used in airbags to sense the weight of each passenger and adjust accordingly. Athletes could also benefit from specially-designed sporting garments which would sense excessive stretching and movement and move with the person.

Trade and Industry Minister Doug-las Alexander said: "I am pleased that the DTI has been able to help this innovative company. Companies like Wronz are helping Britain to be at the forefront of manufacturing technology, showing that partnerships between industry, government and the academic world can help improve productivity and competitiveness."

Steven Leftly, a research leader in Ilkley, said: "It will be one or two years down the line until we see the research we are conducting now turned into commercial products, but the range of use is immense."

Wronz, which has been based in Ilkley for six years, employs 15 people in its textiles research centre.

The company's main office, which employs 150 staff, is in New Zealand.

The new research will be helped by academic input from the University of Durham's optical and electro active materials research group.