TEXTILES.ORG
The Advanced Textiles Association’s Emerging Technologies Conference (ETC) Nov. 2. will open four days of educational sessions, exhibits, and networking events at ATA Expo Nov. 3–5, 2026, in Orlando, Florida. This year’s event is also co-locating with Sun Shading Expo North America.
Monday’s ETC education sessions begin with “Engineering Anti-Smoke Textiles: Insights from Controlled WUI and Battery Fire Simulations,” presented by Prof. Guowen Song, and Dr. Rui Li, Asst. Research Prof. and project manager, Iowa State University. As wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires and lithium-ion battery incidents generate highly toxic smoke, this session introduces the Controlled Consistent Exposure Simulation System (ACCESS), a novel laboratory platform that transforms chaotic real-world fire events into repeatable, controlled combustion experiments.
Dr. Topher Anderson, owner, Textile.org. presents, “Tina & Tara Turn Tense: Digital Tension Twins for Textile Machines,” which will show how digital tension twins help textile machines behave more alike by measuring and matching real thread or yarn tension, reducing guesswork in embroidery, smart textiles, composites, and production transfer.
Lelia Lawson, founder & chief technology officer, Zylotex Inc., will discuss, “Engineering Non-Wood Dissolving Pulp: What It Really Takes to Make Agricultural Feedstocks Spin.” As the textile industry prepares for a shift beyond wood-based cellulose, agricultural feedstocks are emerging as viable — but technically demanding — alternatives.
“Enhancing Adhesive Strength Between Fabric and an Additive Manufactured Composite,” is the discussion topic for Dr. Rebecca Ruckdashel, Research Engineer III – Textiles, FASTR Lab, Advanced Structures and Composites Center, University of Maine. She will describe her work on improving bonding between thermoplastic resins and fabric during additive manufacturing.
“Plants: The Original Textile — Lessons and Applications for Biomimicry,” presented by Daryl L. Thompson, director, Scientific Initiatives, Global Research and Discovery Group, will discuss how plants represent some of nature’s most advanced material systems, evolved over millions of years to manage heat, moisture, structural strength, and environmental stress. The session will examine plant-derived strategies for passive cooling, energy interaction, and functional material design, and how these insights can translate into scalable textile technologies for performance, defense and humanitarian applications.
Dynamically Tunable Visible and IR Structural Colors,” will be discussed by Dr. Debashis Chanda, University of Central Florida. Dynamic color generation has been the subject of extensive research; however, commercial adoption has been limited by the absence of effective tuning mechanisms, structural complexities and fabrication challenges. The concept to be presented “holds immense promise for applications in thermal sensing, advanced textile engineering, camouflage, and reconfigurable displays,” Dr. Chanda says.
Satish Hodage, chief technology officer, YUJ Labs LLC, will present “From Fiber to Finish: High‑Performance Biobased Fire Retardants with Sustainable, Clean Chemistry.” This session introduces a new class of high performance biobased fire retardants engineered through clean chemistry formulations that integrate seamlessly from fiber to finish. The information is ideal for attendees seeking sustainable, scalable and commercially viable alternatives to traditional FR technologies.
“Functional Textiles, Current Gaps, and Opportunities for Innovation” presented by Saloni Purandare, Ph.D., program chair and instructor, Textile Technology Program, Gaston College, will introduce the audience to categories of textiles engineered for predetermined applications, covering the crucial role of material innovation and selection. The goal will be to generate dialog around current issues in functional textiles and ways in which material innovation can address those issues.
Dr. Amanda Mills, asst. professor, NC State University and Dr. Marie O’Mahony programme leader, MSc E-textiles and Wearable Technologies, University of Southampton, U.K., will discuss “Flexfactory and SUSTAIN: A Comparison of North American and European Pathways to Successful Collaboration and Entrepreneurship,” about a new initiative to explore this topic via a series of workshops and seminars in the U.S. and U.K.
“Unfolding Power: How Origami-Inspired Fabric is Creating the Next Generation of Self-Powered Sensors,” is the subject of a presentation by Dr. K.R. Sanjaya D. Gunawardhana, postdoctoral researcher, Dublin City University. The wearable technology industry is at an inflection point, as demand for clinical-grade joint monitoring is surging, yet every current solution forces a compromise between sensitivity, comfort and power. This session introduces Fabrigami, an origami-inspired, self-powered textile sensor that resolves all three constraints simultaneously.
“Circular Performance Footwear: Linking Foam Degradation, Material Recovery, and End-of-Life Design Intelligence,” will be presented by Dr. Kedena Henriques-Thompson, postdoctoral research scholar, NC State University. Performance footwear is engineered for comfort, energy return, protection, and durability, yet little industry attention has been given to what happens to these material systems after prolonged wear and at end-of-life. The session introduces an end-of-life design intelligence framework that connects material selection, wear-state failure patterns, and circular product strategy to support next-generation sustainable footwear systems.
Don’t Let Your Color Expertise Retire: Building an AI Tool That Learns and Diagnoses in the Dye House,” is the topic of a presentation by Yuan Sun Ph.D., candidate student in the Color Science and Imaging Laboratories at NC State University. Coloration defects in dyeing and printing are difficult to diagnose This session explains an AI diagnostic platform built on five expert systems. Attendees will see how rule-based systems and LLMs complement each other and where AI fits into coloration QC.
The day concludes with the Emerging Technologies Networking Reception for all ETC participants. Additionally, this year’s Expo theme, “Defining the Future of Textiles,” will be evidenced in products shown by more than 300 exhibitors, and 4,000+ participants from 60+ countries. In addition to ETC on Monday there will be show floor presentations, and opportunities for scheduled and impromptu discussion of importance to all industry participants.