A way in

June 9, 2014  |  My Take

When I tell people what I do, there is often a moment of silence while the answer gets processed. They get the editor part; it’s “advanced textiles” that trips them up. But when I tell them about all the amazing materials, technology and expertise in the advanced textiles industry, they’re g…
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Everyday, but not ordinary

May 9, 2014  |  My Take

Protective textile products are hard workers in industrial environments. Around the world, countless people start their work day following a critical routine by donning protective apparel: a hard hat, fire-retardant coverall, safety glasses, cut-resistant sleeves or gloves, high-visibility vests or …
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With risks this high, how much protection is enough?

April 7, 2014  |  My Take

I haven’t done a survey, but I think this is accurate: emergency personnel are most frequently dealing with crises they can understand. In fact, they may have been in similar situations many times in the past. They have been trained to deal with fires, car accidents and assaults, for example, …
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Medical textile miracles

March 8, 2014  |  My Take

The more we learn about the human body, the more amazed we are. A highly complex machine, it’s so efficient that it’s baffling. But as brilliant and resilient as our bodies are, they wear out, get sick or are injured. It is for times like these that medical research has come up with all sorts &h…
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Fashion and function

February 7, 2014  |  My Take

When Mercedes-Benz runs a commercial featuring a special suit that lights up to reflect the emotions of the driver, in real time, during his driving experience, we may think “silly” or “spectacular.” But the fact is, the technology that powers the suit is not substantially different from the…
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Powered, not wired

January 11, 2014  |  My Take

The expectations for e-textiles and wearable technology are broad and significant. The research is yielding more promising—and practical—innovations at a fairly regular clip. We are not talking wires here. (My hunting socks with wires across the toes that run to a C-cell battery pack come to min…
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Button up your overcoat. And leave it buttoned.

December 10, 2013  |  My Take

When I was a kid and we’d go to our Northern Minnesota cabin in the winter, my mom would bundle us up in woolen snow pants and jackets that she pulled out of mothballed storage trunks. We smelled mighty powerful for a bit, but a few snow angels or tumbles off the toboggan took care … <div><…
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The new paradigm

November 12, 2013  |  My Take

The discussion of good for business versus good for the environment is shifting slowly—but surely. Perhaps a better question today is, if it’s not sustainable, can it be commercialized? Does anyone spend time and money on researching new technologies that are counter to today’s environmental g…
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What’s the holdup?

October 8, 2013  |  My Take

Try Googling “photovoltaic fabrics” sometime. The first page will yield articles from 2010. Solar collector technology (the kind you might see on the roof of a house) I’ve been told has not changed substantially since I bought a house with an active solar heating system in 1979.
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Copper coins and moldy bread

September 10, 2013  |  My Take

The use of what we now call antimicrobials has been around for centuries, although our understanding and ability to make use of the technology is dramatically more sophisticated than the ancient Greek’s (and other cultures’) method of applying moldy bread to a wound. The gods, rather than diseas…
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