FLOAT designed for moving on the Moon

June 24, 2024  |  Out There

NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) 2024 Phase II awardee Ethan Schaler has proposed the first lunar railway system to provide reliable, autonomous and efficient payload transport on the Moon. The Flexible Levitation on a Track (FLOAT) system is a durable, long-life robotic transport system—a…
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Color-changing resin material is heat-activated

April 22, 2024  |  Out There

Artist and designer Kim Mesches has unveiled his “Collection 5,” featuring garments made of a color-changing resin with a technology activated by heat. The material is a mix of thermochromic dyes, pigments and other ingredients, which are then mixed with hardened resin to create the garments.
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U.K. firm launches second-generation invisibility shields 

April 8, 2024  |  Out There

Following the successful development of functional invisibility shields in 2022, U.K.-based Invisibility Shield Co. has launched its second-generation invisibility shields on Kickstarter. Among the products is the “Megashield,” which the company claims is the largest shield ever created.
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E-skin can produce tactile feedback

March 25, 2024  |  Out There

In recent years, materials scientists and engineers have introduced increasingly sophisticated materials for robotic and prosthetic applications, including a range of electronic skins, or e-skins, designed to sense the surrounding environment and artificially reproduce the sense of touch.
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Interactive pavilion knitted with smart yarns 

February 26, 2024  |  Out There

An interactive installation that combined textile arts, smart materials and engineering and received a 2023 Black Rock City Honorarium at the 2023’s Burning Man. Set against the vast and surreal backdrop of the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, Burning Man is an annual gathering that transforms the fl…
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Augmented reality T-shirts demonstrated at Art Basel

January 15, 2024  |  Out There

Avery Dennison has completed a project with NRVLD, a community-based agency comprised of artists, technologists and media personalities supporting disruptive innovation. Innovation in Textiles reports that the company created limited edition augmented reality T-shirts worn by the NRVLD executive tea…
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New inks make it possible to draw stretchable LEDs

September 11, 2023  |  Out There

Although we're hearing more about stretchable electronics, the fabrication of such devices' components is far beyond most people's abilities. Now, however, scientists have created inks that let anyone draw stretchable LEDs onto various surfaces, including fabric, using regular ballpoint pens.
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Streetwear is made from preserved seaweed 

June 12, 2023  |  Out There

Inside The Reykjavik EDITION hotel in Iceland, fashion designers Tanguy Mélinand and Drífa Líftóra unveiled their collection of clothes stitched from harvested and preserved Icelandic seaweed. The designers collaborated with SEAWEEDWORKS, a project founded by creative director Charlie Stran…
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Biomimetic soft “seed robot” can navigate through soil

May 8, 2023  |  Out There

Researchers at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia in Genova have created what they say is the first 4D-printed, biomimetic, biodegradable, soft robot that changes shape in response to humidity and can navigate through soil. The researchers say the device has great potential as a new means of monit…
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Zebra stripes inspire smart, wearable electricity source

April 24, 2023  |  Out There

The zebra’s distinctive appearance has been the source of much scientific debate, from its role in predator confusion, to how it can deter horsefly bites. More recently, it was found that the animals can raise the fur of their black segments to transfer heat away from the skin for temperature …
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