Category: Smart Textiles
Nanofibres yield stronger, tougher carbon fibre composites
Researchers at the US Department of Energy Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a new technique using carbon nanofibres to enhance binding in carbon fibre…
Textile solar cells for buildings
Future solar energy is soft and woven into fibres – at least, that is the vision of an international team of researchers and designers from…
Biodegradable nanofibres from milk protein and plant cellulose
Milk protein and cellulose derived from plants can be electrospun into nanofibres to produce mats that could be used for biodegradable – and even edible…
Challenges and new standards for washable e-textiles
Sigrid Rotzler, who is investigating how wearable e-textiles can be optimised for the washing process, was involved in the development of one of the world’s…
Smart sanitary pads reveal key health biomarkers
Researchers at ETH Zürich, Switzerland, have developed a technology that is able to recognise biomarkers in menstrual blood directly in sanitary towels.
Wearable device helps blind people detect obstacles
Researchers from the São Paulo State University and the Federal University of Espírito Santo in Brazil have developed a wearable device to help visually impaired…
Shirt holds mother’s scent and turns into a NICU mattress cover
The Canadian Premature Babies Foundation has collaborated with create agency TBWA\Canada to develop the Sweat Sheet, a unique garment that retains a mother’s scent and…
Using sound waves to create a smart T-shirt
Researchers at ETH Zürich, Switzerland, have laid the foundations for smart textiles such as a T-shirt that measures breathing or gloves that translate hand movements…
Stretchable ‘metamaterials’ for tear-proof textiles
US engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found a way to fabricate a metamaterial that is both strong and stretchy.
Smart lactation pads monitor safety of breast milk in real time
US scientists at the University of Southern California have developed a lactation pad equipped with sensing technology that allows parents of newborn babies to monitor…
Soft exoskeleton provides mobility for children with motor difficulties
A team of researchers in the laboratory of University of Houston Professor Jose Luis Contreras-Vidal has created a soft, paediatric smart exoskeleton to help children…
Deafblind people could be able to understand live conversations
Thousands of people who are born deafblind could be able to understand live conversations for the first time owing to smart textiles being developed by…
Launch of standard for wearable electronics
IPC, a US-based global association representing electronics manufacturers, has finalised a standard – IPC-8981, Quality and Reliability of E-Textile Wearables – that defines the framework…
Trial of perovskite solar cells for smart wear
Toyoda Gosei is trialling smart wear fitted with perovskite solar cells as clothing that can generate power, moving the company closer to commercialisation.
Wearable tech continuously monitors heart-rate recovery to predict risk
Scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign used a smart shirt equipped with an electrocardiogram to track participants’ heart-rate recovery after exercise and developed a…
Awards for Product Accelerator for Advanced Fabrics 2.0
Nuream and Z-Polymers have been announced as the next companies to participate in the Product Accelerator for Functional Fabrics (PAFF) 2.