Archive: September 2020

Octouse

Octopus muscle for soft robots

The nimble shape-shifting of the octopus – and its ability to squeeze through tight spaces with the quick contraction of a muscle – has inspired the development at...

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EPFL

Deciphering multiple deformations

By adapting concepts from reflectometry, researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology have created soft fibre-shaped sensors that open up many new possibilities for smart textiles....

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Footfalls

Rapid production of smart shoe uppers

Nottingham, UK-based Footfalls & Heartbeats has created a knitted shoe upper that can measure gait when someone is walking or running.

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Copper1

Exploiting copper’s hostility to coronavirus

A simple and effective solution to making public spaces such as restaurants safe from Covid-19 is being proposed by Texe, based in Florence, Italy, in the form...

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DITF1

Smart service for restaurants

The German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf is developing intelligent tablecloths that can initially assist restaurant management with social distancing arrangements, allowing visitors to place their...

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Helios

Self-healing and illuminating material

A new stretchable material enables highly visible illumination at much lower operating voltages and is also resilient to damage due to its self-healing properties when used in...

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