Emerging Technology Conference plenary speaker announced

Eastman Kodak, while one of the most globally recognised brands, is not readily associated with textiles, making the Emerging Technologies Conference plenary speaker, Dr Mridula Nair, an intriguing choice. Dr. Nair is a Research Fellow and Distinguished Inventor at Eastman Kodak Co. with more than 40 years of experience and 143 U.S. Patents granted. 

So, what is the connection with textiles?  One word: light. Established in 1912, Kodak Research Laboratories was one of the first industrial research centers devoted to photography research, a medium that relied on the harnessing of light. The challenges for companies whose reputation revolves around innovation is how to continue to innovate, and perhaps even more challenging, how to do so beyond the market they are indelibly linked to, at least in the consumer’s mind. 

At a presentation earlier this year, Kodak described itself as “a global technology company focused on print and advanced materials and chemicals.” Light-blocking technology for textiles sits amongst a range of manufacturing technologies that includes EV/energy storage battery material and transparent antenna. 

The demand for light management in window shading has grown as the amount of glass used in buildings has increased as has the amount of light used in urban environments. The company has leveraged a proprietary technology initially developed for electrophotographic toners to commercialize a carbon-free coating for textiles that offers selective light filtering and blackout. 

Speaking at the AT conference at EXPO 2023, Dr Nair will give a background on Kodak’s business model of innovation and discuss in more detail the process of creating greener opacifying textile formulations for the KODALUX Fabric Coating based on a disruptive engineered porous microparticle technology that she and her team have invented. As a Thought Leader for Women in Leadership and STEM, Dr Nair will also give her perspective on both of these important initiatives.

Dr Mridula Nair’s presentation is scheduled for October 31, 2023, 11:30 A.M, at Advanced Textiles EXPO 2023 in Orlando, Fla.