What's New? Archives

Side-by-side conductivity and flexibility

December 18, 2023 | What's New?

Electrically conductive "smart fabrics" have many potential applications, but their specialized fibers typically aren't as soft and flexible as those made of regular materials. An experimental new two-faced fiber, however, is both flexible and conductive.

Shirt helps deaf and hard-of-hearing people enjoy opera

December 11, 2023 | What's New?

Opera is everything all at once: music and drama, poetry and dance, grandeur and intimacy, spectacle and sound. But for audience members who are deaf or hard of hearing, or who are blind or have low vision, attending an opera can be a frustrating experience.

Sensor yarns for health monitoring

November 27, 2023 | What's New?

Smart textiles have so much possibility in the medical field, including wound healing and vital signs monitoring. Sensor yarns are a part of this future, as discussed by representatives of the German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF) at the recent Advanced Textiles Expo in O…

Bionic hand restores quality of life to amputee

October 23, 2023 | What's New?

The world is edging closer to creating fully functional prosthetic limbs with the first clinical bionic attachment connected directly to the nervous and skeletal systems. Incorporating artificial intelligence (AI), the “Mia Hand” has restored about 80 percent of daily use to the user’s hand an…

Bionic silkworms produce full-length fibers

October 9, 2023 | What's New?

For the first time, scientists have successfully produced full-length spider silk fibers using genetically modified silkworms. Newatlas.com reports that this silk has the potential to provide a scalable, sustainable and better-quality alternative to current synthetic fibers like nylon.

Scientists develop a less invasive brain-computer interface

October 9, 2023 | What's New?

Serving multiple useful purposes, brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) usually incorporate scalp-applied or even brain-implanted electrodes. A new less-invasive BCI, however, can simply be placed in the patient's ear canal.

Smart jacket from Nike has automatic air vents

September 25, 2023 | What's New?

NIKE has introduced a jacket equipped with automatic air venting technology that closes and opens to keep runners warm and cool as they jog. The company’s “Aerogami” has air vents that appear as creases and folds across the smart jacket where tiny, winged vents open when sweat builds agains…

Reusable gloves “cook” viruses

September 25, 2023 | What's New?

Single-use nitrile gloves continue to be used widely in healthcare settings. A Rice University team, led by mechanical engineering graduate student Marquise Bell, has recently developed an alternative: reusable gloves that cook viruses.

Fibers with sensors help study the brain-gut connection

September 11, 2023 | What's New?

The brain and the digestive tract are in constant communication, relaying signals that help to control feeding and other behaviors. This extensive communication network also influences our mental state and has been implicated in many neurological disorders.

Spun-fiber device designed for children with heart valve disease

August 28, 2023 | What's New?

Strep throat is a common and treatable childhood disease in the U.S., but in less wealthy countries, children afflicted with strep can develop rheumatic fever, in which runaway inflammation attacks the body’s tissues. Rheumatic fever often damages the valves of the heart, causing rheumatic heart d…

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