NTU unveils photovoltaic e-textile

January 9, 2023  |  What's New?

Researchers at the U.K.’s Nottingham Trent University (NTU) have developed an e-textile that’s embedded with 1,200 tiny photovoltaic cells. Led by Dr. Theodore Hughes-Riley, associate professor of Electronic Textiles at the Nottingham School of Art & Design, the experimental project is intro…
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Silkworm inspires nanofiber production method

January 9, 2023  |  What's New?

Inspired by the silkworm, scientists have developed a faster and simpler method of producing nanofibers. According to researchers from China's Sichuan University, existing nanofiber production methods such as electrospinning are either complicated, slow, or they can result in “clumpy” fibers. By…
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Toray announces blood purification fiber technology

January 9, 2023  |  What's New?

Japanese fiber and textile developer Toray has combined nanotechnology and fiber technology to create a cross-shaped polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) nanopore fiber that it claims can adsorb pathogenic proteins in the blood. 
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New materials for long-lasting, implantable batteries

December 19, 2022  |  What's New?

For the last few decades, battery research has largely focused on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, which are used in everything from electric cars to portable electronics. They’ve improved dramatically in terms of affordability and capacity, but nonrechargeable batteries have seen little improv…
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Engineers use store-bought tape to generate electricity

December 19, 2022  |  What's New?

Scientists have made an energy harvester using ordinary, double-sided tape, creating a simple device that can light up a string of LEDs. This suggests a future for a new low-cost, sustainable power alternative.
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Embroidering power-generating yarn for wearables 

December 12, 2022  |  What's New?

Embroidering power-generating yarns onto fabric offers a low-cost, scalable potential method for making wearable devices, according to researchers at North Carolina State University (NC State). Using the technique has made it possible to embed a self-powered, numerical touch pad and movement sensors…
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New conductive narrow fabric introduced 

November 14, 2022  |  What's New?

Burlan Manufacturing exhibited its conductive narrow fabric at IFAI Expo in Charlotte this fall. The narrow fabric is the newest in its line of conductive fabrics, which provide conductivity woven into the structure of the fabric, so it will not wear off or wash off over time. Because of its size an…
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New low-cost thread used in wearable sensors

October 10, 2022  |  What's New?

Researchers at Imperial College London have embedded new low-cost sensors designed to monitor breathing, heart rate and ammonia into t-shirts and face masks. The wearable sensors are spun from a new Imperial-developed thread called Pecotex, which is a polystyrene sulfonate-modified cotton conductiv…
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Startup launches full-body VR Tracking Shoes

October 10, 2022  |  What's New?

Manhattan, N.Y.-based virtual reality (VR) startup Surplex has recently launched a body-movement tracking system that requires nothing more than a pair of shoes. The insole of each shoes contains 240 pressure sensors that detect the changes in foot pressure that occur not only as the user walks, run…
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