High-tech fabric opens cooling vents when made wet with sweat

When we’re hot and sweaty, we prefer cool mesh-like clothing, but otherwise … mesh just doesn’t keep us warm enough. A new dual-purpose fabric was designed with that conundrum in mind, as it features cooling vents that open upon absorbing sweat.Continu… Continue reading High-tech fabric opens cooling vents when made wet with sweat

“CareGum” could boost rehabilitative tech and nonverbal communications

An experimental new material could help rehabilitate the injured and allow the nonspeaking to “speak,” among other potential uses. It’s also highly elastic, electrically conductive and self-healing – and it’s known as CareGum.Continue ReadingCategory: … Continue reading “CareGum” could boost rehabilitative tech and nonverbal communications

Extended-range NFC fabric lets clothes “talk” to each other

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) have developed a novel, high-tech form of fabric that foreshadows a future where items of clothing can”talk” to one another, and purchases might be made with a high-five or wave of the arm. It m… Continue reading Extended-range NFC fabric lets clothes “talk” to each other

Washable conductive clothing monitors muscle activity

Currently, if you wish to track the electrical activity of someone’s muscles, you have stick electrodes onto their skin. An experimental new technology, however, simply utilizes conductive fabric that’s incorporated into washable pieces of clothing.Con… Continue reading Washable conductive clothing monitors muscle activity

OmniFiber garments record and play back wearers’ breathing patterns

Imagine if you were an amateur singer or athlete in training, and you were able to “feel” the manner in which a professional breathes while they’re performing. That’s just one of the potential uses of a new “smart” fiber, which could also have medical … Continue reading OmniFiber garments record and play back wearers’ breathing patterns

Carbon nanotube thread turns regular shirts into heart rate monitors

Over the years, we’ve seen many examples of smart garments packed with technology to monitor different aspects of a wearer’s physical wellbeing, but lately we’re seeing how very fine, conductive fibers could make for a more seamless experience. Rice Un… Continue reading Carbon nanotube thread turns regular shirts into heart rate monitors

MIT’s world-first digital fabric can collect, store and process data

While the fabrics we wear today might keep us warm and protect us from the elements, scientists continue to demonstrate how they might soon do far more than that. MIT scientist Yoel Fink has been at the cutting edge of this field for more than a decade… Continue reading MIT’s world-first digital fabric can collect, store and process data

Reversible fabric heats on one side, cools on the other

It can be frustrating, when the jacket that you initially put on to keep you warm starts making you too hot. Jackets made from an experimental new reversible fabric, however, could both heat and cool their wearer.Continue ReadingCategory: Materials, Sc… Continue reading Reversible fabric heats on one side, cools on the other

Conductive cellulose threads form fabrics that produce electricity

Thanks to advances in materials and electronics, we are starting to see how our clothing might one day do more than keep us warm or protect us from the elements. Scientists at Chalmers University of Technology have offered a compelling new example of w… Continue reading Conductive cellulose threads form fabrics that produce electricity

Energy-harvesting shirt generates electricity from sweat and movement

When it comes to renewable energy, many cities combine multiple sources, such as solar panels and wind turbines. Scientists have now taken a similar approach with a “smart” shirt that generates electricity via both sweat and movement.Continue ReadingCa… Continue reading Energy-harvesting shirt generates electricity from sweat and movement