Collaborate Disseminate
What’s just a bit thicker than a human hair and has ten times the capability of a human muscle? Polymer-coated carbon nanotube yarn. Researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas created this yarn using carbon nanotubes coated with a …read more
When producing “smart fabrics” made of conductive fibers, it can be difficult placing functional elements such as electrodes in specific locations along those fibers. A new polymer, however, could make doing so much easier.Continue ReadingCategory: Mat… Continue reading UV-activated polymer could make smart fabrics even smarter
In order to monitor their wearers’ movements, smart fabrics typically incorporate strain-measuring sensors. And while such sensors are often impractically fragile, Harvard University scientists have created a new one that can really take a beating.Cont… Continue reading “Smart fabric” strain sensor combines strength and sensitivity
Imagine if your tablecloth could alert you to the whereabouts of misplaced items, or track your diet? Those things and more may soon be possible, thanks to a new “smart” fabric being developed at New Hampshire’s Dartmouth College.Continue ReadingCatego… Continue reading Smart tablecloth fabric knows what’s placed upon it
If a 3D printer leaves gaps in the plastic that it deposits, it’s usually thought of as an unwanted flaw. Now, however, the process has been harnessed to quickly and cheaply produce pliable polymer textiles.Continue ReadingCategory: 3D Printing, Techno… Continue reading 3D-printing “error” used to produce high-tech textiles
A team of scientists at Yale University has developed a new “robotic fabric” that can change its shape and stiffness on demand or by sensing its environment. The material could one day be used in high-tech clothing, tents that set themselves up, or rob… Continue reading Shape-changing “robotic fabric” switches between soft and strong
When it comes to tracking an athlete’s performance, a single wearable sensor doesn’t always provide much information, yet multiple hard-wired sensors restrict movement. That’s a where a new sensor suit comes in – and it’s powered by a smartphone.Contin… Continue reading Smartphone-powered athletic “smart suit” needs no batteries
There are now several experimental “smart fabrics,” capable of detecting the wearer’s respiration or heartbeat via deformations in the material. A new one, however, is claimed to work better by utilizing transmission lines instead of individual sensors… Continue reading Transmission lines replace sensors in new smart fabric
Although we’ve recently seen a number of “electronic skin” sensor patches that monitor the wearer’s vital signs, the things do have their drawbacks. Scientists at MIT have therefore developed what may be a better alternative, in the form of a vitals-mo… Continue reading MIT’s electronic shirt tracks wearers’ vitals
The more clothing that you wear, the warmer you are … right? Well actually, scientists have developed a new textile that both warms wearers in cold environments, and cools them down when things heat up.Continue ReadingCategory: Materials, ScienceTags: … Continue reading Phase-change fabric both warms and cools its wearer