MIT’s 4D knit dress created by a robot arm

November 11, 2024  |  What's New?

MIT’s Self-Assembly Lab team has developed the 4D Knit Dress, a new way to personalize a dress in any size using a six-axis robot arm (typically used in the automotive industry), computerized knitting, and heat-activated yarns. Led by Sasha MicKinlay, a recent graduate of the MIT Dept. of Ar…
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Innovations on the horizon

October 28, 2024  |  What's New?

In a show floor presentation, textile industry expert and consultant Paige Mullis provided an overview of “Innovations shaping our world.” Her opening question, “Why the Consumer Electronics (CES) show?” launched a review of highlights from the annual event, considering the perspectives of b…
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The well-dressed spacecraft

October 28, 2024  |  What's New?

Juliana Cherston, Ph.D., an emerging technology consultant at the MIT Media Lab, led an Emerging Technologies Conference session about the development and launch of the first electronic textile sensor in space. She also discussed how to create academic partnerships to further textile research and de…
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Apparel design for extreme heat

October 14, 2024  |  What's New?

Konrad Rykaczewski, who spoke at this year’s ATA Emerging Technologies Conference, hails from Arizona State University, the perfect location for his research topic of clothing and human survival in extreme heat. To illustrate the impact of climate change he used the example of temperature changes …
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Vest with soft robots can relieve anxiety

September 18, 2024  |  What's New?

During the recent RIMOWA Design Prize 2024, the winning entry came from Janne Kreimer and her wearable technology, RO. The Anhalt University student of Integrated Design presented a therapeutic smart vest wrapped with small, pod-like soft robots that swell with air when the wearer is anxious. These…
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E-textiles can be electronic musical instruments

September 18, 2024  |  What's New?

Researchers Dr. Sophie Skach and Dr. Victor Shepardson have been doing research into fabrics, as part of their work in the Intelligent Instruments Lab, University of Iceland. Recently, they devised a set of smart fabrics that can produce sounds like musical instruments when people handle them, produ…
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More sustainable coating developed for protective gloves

September 9, 2024  |  What's New?

Protective gloves, such as those used for work, sport or household gardening, get their protective function from a special coating. This coating provides abrasion resistance, makes the material waterproof and resistant to chemicals or oil, and even protects against cuts and punctures.
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Chalk coating could help clothing cool the wearer

August 26, 2024  |  What's New?

Keeping cool on hot days requires wearing the right clothing, as much as wearing less clothing. A new fabric coating, essentially made of chalk, could help make clothing cooler.
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Researchers develop a breakthrough vascular graft

August 12, 2024  |  What's New?

The University of Edinburgh, U.K., reports that researchers there have developed a novel, two-stage tissue engineering process intended to create better vascular grafts for use in bypass surgeries. Many cardiovascular diseases ultimately require bypass surgery, whereby a vascular graft is installed …
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Motorcycle denim created for protection and comfort

July 29, 2024  |  What's New?

Armalith®, touted as “the world’s strongest denim” by its French manufacturer, announces testing results that describe the product’s seven levels of protection, ranging from the most everyday uses (micro-mobility) to the most extreme (Moto GP). They are expressed by a maximum speed of resis…
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