Automated knitting streamlines fabrication of assistive wearables

May 9, 2022  |  What's New?

Scientists from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have devised a scalable pipeline to computationally design and digitally fabricate soft pneumatic actuators. “PneuAct,” has addressed an issue with soft robotics, which required manual design and fabrication …
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A new method for prototyping wearable sensors

April 11, 2022  |  What's New?

Engineers at the University of California Berkeley have developed a means that will enable medical researchers to prototype test new wearable sensor designs faster. Typically, researchers would build island-bridge systems using photolithography, but this is a multistep process using light to create …
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Smart bandage releases medication when it senses heat 

April 11, 2022  |  What's New?

While antibiotics are very effective at treating infected wounds, it is generally agreed that they should be used only when necessary. Not only can antibiotics cause unwanted side effects, but their overuse may contribute to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. A new experimental bandag…
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Student research showcased at the Smart Fabrics Summit

April 11, 2022  |  What's New?

With this year’s Smart Fabrics Summit took place on the campus of North Carolina State University (NC State), another day of activities was added, which included student demonstrations and tours of the Zeis Textiles Extension complex and the Nano-EXtended Textiles lab (NEXT) at the Wilson College …
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New material is extremely stretchable—and tough

March 14, 2022  |  What's New?

Researchers at North Carolina State University have made new materials that are not only extremely stretchable, they’re equally tough. The new materials fall under the broader category of ionogels—polymer networks, which contain salts that are liquid at room temperature, called ionic liquids.
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Smart saddle provides feedback on riding technique

March 14, 2022  |  What's New?

Equestrians must become proficient in relaying cues to their horses via subtle changes in riding posture. A well-trained horse will respond correctly—if the rider is cueing the horse appropriately. With a new smart saddle, riders are cued on their equestrian technique, in order to improve performa…
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Robotic gripper is precise—and gentle

February 21, 2022  |  What's New?

Most grippers work by applying pressure to an object from either side, but this approach won’t work with soft, fragile items and could damage them. A new robotic gripper, however, has found a solution using an ancient Japanese art form.
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E-textile makes large touchscreen applications possible

February 21, 2022  |  What's New?

Smart textiles have become more sophisticated in the last few years but have remained somewhat limited in size and scope. Now a team of researchers, led by scientists at Cambridge University, has woven together a 46-inch textile display, loaded with LEDs, sensors and energy storage.
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Dual action textile cooling technology launched

February 3, 2022  |  What's New?

Swiss high-performance textile provider HeiQ has announced the launch of a new dual action textile cooling technology, HeiQ Cool, which the company says is the world’s first textile technology to deliver both instant contact cooling and continuous evaporative cooling.  Addressing the importan…
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Invoxia unveils biometric health collar for dogs

February 3, 2022  |  What's New?

French tech company Invoxia has unveiled a biometric health collar that can monitor a dog’s vitals, activity and location. With a long battery life and precision GPS tracking, the owner of a dog with an existing health condition, in particular, may find the collar’s ability to sense and trac…
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