Smart Textiles

27th Sep 2022

UK researchers have embedded new low-cost sensors that monitor breathing, heart rate, and ammonia into T-shirts and face masks. Potential applications range from monitoring exercise, sleep, and stress to diagnosing and monitoring disease through breath and vital signs. Just $0.15 produces a metre of thread to integrate over ten sensors into clothing.

6th Sep 2022

London-based clothing brand Fifty One Apparel uses a technology funded by US’ NASA called Outlast that can assist in alleviating symptoms of those suffering from menopause. By bonding Outlast to cellulosic yarn, the company’s clothing maintains the temperature-regulating properties of phase-change materials but retains the look and feel of high-end...

22nd Jul 2022

A smart textile technology with graphene nanotubes has been developed by OCSiAl and CoatYarn. High demand for interactive electronic textiles encouraged the Italian producer of technical-industrial yarns CoatYarn to expand its production line with an absolutely new product: thermoplastic polyurethane yarn enhanced with graphene nanotubes by OCSiAl.

20th Jul 2022

Lavender Tessmer, a doctoral candidate in MIT’s department of architecture, has developed a new active fibre and designed a process that — combined with specific knit textile architecture — uses heat to activate a mask to conform to an individual’s face. With standard equipment and the new customisation process, any manufacturer can create a customised ...

13th Jul 2022

Loomia Technologies has joined hands with Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) to develop highly tactile, heated handwear that could be applicable to both commercial/recreational and military customers. Loomia's patented e-textile technology is a soft, flexible circuit technology that can be embedded into a wide variety of fabrics and...

8th Jul 2022

Researchers at MIT have invented a form-fitting fabric that can recognise the wearer’s movements and even posture. The fabrication process, which employs digital-knitting technology, enables rapid prototyping, making it possible for the smart fabric to be manufactured on a large scale. This special textile could also have application in healthcare.

20th Jun 2022

Electronically conductive fibres are already in use in smart textiles, but in a recently published research ionically conductive fibres have proven to be of increasing interest. The ionofibres achieve higher flexibility, durability and match the type of conduction body uses. In future, they may be used for items like textile batteries, displays and...

9th Jun 2022

A Nanyang Technical University Singapore team has developed a stretchable, waterproof fabric that turns energy generated from body movements into electrical energy. A crucial component in the fabric is a polymer that, when pressed or squeezed, converts mechanical stress into electrical energy. Washing, folding and crumpling does not degrade its...

3rd Jun 2022

Researchers at Finland’s Aalto University’s departments of physics and design have developed a method of adhering solar cells to textiles that makes them resistant to machine-wash, and, at the same time, makes them less of an aesthetic problem. During the three-year ‘Sun-powered Textiles’ project, they also made the solar cell-infused textiles...