Manta rays inspire a fast-swimming soft robot 

January 13, 2025  |  What's New?

A team of researchers has beaten its own record for the fastest swimming soft robot, drawing inspiration from manta rays to improve their ability to control the robot’s movement in the water.
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Moisture sensors for textile manufacturing

January 13, 2025  |  What's New?

MoistTech Corp., Sarasota, Fla., a global provider of moisture measurement technologies, highlights its IR3000 series moisture sensors for the textile and nonwoven industries. These state-of-the-art sensors, featuring Near Infrared (NIR) technology, offer accuracy and reliability in moisture analysi…
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Graphene nanotubes used in conductive PET fibers 

December 16, 2024  |  What's New?

Taiwan-based YAO I Fabric Co. Ltd., has unveiled innovative conductive PET fibers, with the brand name FLEX™ Yarn, that are enhanced with TUBALL™ graphene nanotubes from OCSiAl. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers, valued for their high strength, low weight and resistance to moisture, UV ra…
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NUS researchers develop multifunctional robotic fibers 

December 16, 2024  |  What's New?

A team of interdisciplinary scientists from the Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering under the College of Design and Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS) has developed flexible fibers with self-healing, light-emitting and magnetic properties.
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New kinetic energy harvesting material is in development

December 9, 2024  |  What's New?

Scientists are working to create a new textile material for the U.S. Navy Seals that will generate kinetic energy (from movement) and temperature changes. Backed by the U.S. Office of Naval Research Global (ONRG). This innovative textile is designed to power communication systems and health monitori…
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Jackets are made from NASA’s rover mission parachutes

November 18, 2024  |  What's New?

Specialty clothing brand Vollebak has made “Martian Aerogel Jackets” from space parachutes that NASA used in its Rover mission on Mars in 2021. The jackets are fabricated using two materials that NASA employed during its missions. The parachute fabric is used for its exterior, while the inside u…
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MIT’s 4D knit dress created by a robot arm

November 11, 2024  |  What's New?

MIT’s Self-Assembly Lab team has developed the 4D Knit Dress, a new way to personalize a dress in any size using a six-axis robot arm (typically used in the automotive industry), computerized knitting, and heat-activated yarns. Led by Sasha MicKinlay, a recent graduate of the MIT Dept. of Ar…
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Innovations on the horizon

October 28, 2024  |  What's New?

In a show floor presentation, textile industry expert and consultant Paige Mullis provided an overview of “Innovations shaping our world.” Her opening question, “Why the Consumer Electronics (CES) show?” launched a review of highlights from the annual event, considering the perspectives of b…
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The well-dressed spacecraft

October 28, 2024  |  What's New?

Juliana Cherston, Ph.D., an emerging technology consultant at the MIT Media Lab, led an Emerging Technologies Conference session about the development and launch of the first electronic textile sensor in space. She also discussed how to create academic partnerships to further textile research and de…
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Apparel design for extreme heat

October 14, 2024  |  What's New?

Konrad Rykaczewski, who spoke at this year’s ATA Emerging Technologies Conference, hails from Arizona State University, the perfect location for his research topic of clothing and human survival in extreme heat. To illustrate the impact of climate change he used the example of temperature changes …
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