Articles tagged with "smart-textiles"
New fabric sends touch cues to help soldiers stay silent in combat
Rice University researchers have developed a novel smart textile platform through the startup Actile Technologies that enables fabrics to communicate information via touch rather than visual or auditory signals. Using fluidic logic—air pressure and flow within the fabric instead of electronics—the textiles generate tactile cues such as squeezes, taps, or temperature changes. This approach enhances durability and adaptability, making the fabric functional in challenging environments where electronics might fail. The technology aims to reduce sensory overload by delivering discreet, immediate haptic feedback, allowing users, particularly soldiers, to keep their eyes and ears focused on their surroundings. Actile’s first application targets military use, providing silent, secure communication through wearable garments that feel like normal uniforms but contain hidden channels and conductive fibers to send tactile signals. This innovation helps soldiers receive commands without relying on visual or auditory cues, addressing the cognitive bottleneck caused by information overload in combat zones. The startup has gained recognition as a finalist in NATO’s DIANA accelerator and a competitor in the U.S. Army’s x
materialssmart-textileshaptic-technologysoft-roboticswearable-technologydefense-technologyfluidic-logicStretchable Liquid-metal fibers stretch 10x to power smart clothing
Researchers at EPFL have developed a novel fiber-based electronic sensor that remains fully functional even when stretched over ten times its original length, marking a significant advancement for wearable electronics. The key innovation lies in using a safe, flexible liquid metal alloy of indium and gallium, combined with a thermal drawing process adapted from optical fiber manufacturing. This technique involves creating a large-scale “preform” with a 3D pattern of liquid metal droplets embedded in a soft elastomer matrix, which, when heated and stretched, produces thin fibers with finely tuned electrical properties. This structure allows selective activation of conductive areas within the fiber, resulting in sensors that maintain high sensitivity and conductivity despite extreme stretching. To demonstrate practical applications, the team integrated these fibers into a soft knee brace capable of accurately monitoring joint movements during various activities such as walking, running, and jumping. The fibers’ combination of stretchability, conductivity, and ease of integration makes them promising for smart textiles used in sports, health monitoring, physical rehabilitation, and
materialswearable-technologysmart-textilesliquid-metalstretchable-electronicssensorssoft-roboticsNew textile adjusts its aerodynamic properties, can transform wearables
Researchers at Harvard’s John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have developed an innovative textile capable of dynamically adjusting its aerodynamic properties through on-demand surface dimpling. Inspired by the dimples on a golf ball that reduce drag by inducing turbulence, this textile forms dimples when stretched, even when tightly fitted to the body. By varying the size and pattern of these dimples, the fabric can reduce aerodynamic drag by up to 20% at specific wind speeds, as demonstrated in wind tunnel experiments. This adaptability is enabled by a unique lattice pattern within the textile composite, which allows expansion rather than tightening when worn. The textile is created using a two-step manufacturing process that combines a stiffer woven material with a softer knit layer, resulting in a flexible yet structured composite. Extensive simulations and experiments with different lattice tessellations (such as squares and hexagons) helped optimize the dimpling patterns for targeted aerodynamic performance. Published in Advanced Materials, the study highlights the potential applications of this smart textile
materialssmart-textilesaerodynamic-propertieswearable-technologytextile-innovationcomposite-materialsadaptive-fabricsSweat-activated winter jacket improves body heat control by 82.8%
A team of scientists led by Xiuqiang Li at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics has developed a sweat-activated winter jacket that significantly improves thermal regulation by up to 82.8% compared to traditional textiles. The jacket uses a bacterial cellulose membrane as its filling, which automatically adjusts its thickness based on humidity levels: it remains thick (13 millimeters) in dry, cold air to retain warmth and shrinks to 2 millimeters when humidity rises from sweating, allowing better cooling during physical activity. This adaptive feature helps maintain comfort by preventing overheating without sacrificing insulation. The membrane was tested both in controlled lab settings, using a system simulating human skin, and in real-world trials where volunteers wore the jacket while walking or cycling outdoors. Results showed the jacket could extend the “no-thermal stress zone” by an average of 7.5 hours across 20 cities, making it particularly beneficial for outdoor workers such as sanitation staff, couriers, and police
materialsadaptive-clothingthermal-regulationbacterial-cellulosewearable-technologysmart-textilesinsulation-materialsScientists sew up smart t-shirt, gesture-reading gloves using sound waves
smart-textileswearable-technologygesture-recognitionIoThealth-monitoringacoustic-wavessmart-wearables