November 23, 2020
The second week of IFAI Virtual Expo 2020 advanced textiles educational sessions began with a presentation that illustrated the importance of collaboration. “Smart textiles for healthcare and wellbeing: a collaborative approach” had three presenters speaking from different perspectives, but with one, unified message about reaching across geographical distance and areas of expertise to create successful …
As part of the advanced textiles education at IFAI Virtual Expo 2020, Dr. Amanda Mills, Wilson College of Textiles, NC State University, discussed e-textiles in her presentation, “Textile Electronics: Product Design.” Putting all the elements together for an e-textile product is “a balancing act,” she said, stressing the importance of “innovation at every level,” starting …
November 9, 2020
3D fabric structures have been around for thousands of years, but the process of turning fiber into fabric hasn’t changed very much. A research team based at MIT and headed by Jack Forman recognized a need for a fast and accessible approach to manufacturing textiles into 3D forms. A report provided by MIT says their …
“Lather, rinse, repeat. Lather, rinse, repeat,” became the mantra of Matt Kolmes, CEO at VOLT, when his company took on the challenge of making CBD-infused socks for pain relief. Kolmes presented the VOLT product development process Oct. 5 at IFAI Virtual Expo 2020. VOLT, a division of Supreme Corp., has expertise in military and medical …
October 26, 2020
A researcher has established that luminescent textiles can be created by using a bioluminescent reaction system. Regarding her doctoral thesis in the field of Textile Technology at the University of Borås, Sweta Iyer said that the important research question was to understand the bioluminescent reaction mechanism that exists in different living organisms and the selection …
October 21, 2020
Inner Mettle (IM) has launched its latest product, IM ViroBac fabric, developed to reduce the risk of viral and bacterial transmission via surface contact applicable to a multitude of situations in a commercial environment, such as public transport, medical facilities and hospitality. The company says that testing has shown the fabric can reduce the human coronavirus by 97.5 …
October 12, 2020
U.S. Army and Texas A&M University researchers have developed a new material that can autonomously heal in air and under water. The 3-D printable and stimuli-responsive polymeric materials are expected to enable massive reconfigurability in future military platforms, said Dr. Frank Gardea, an aerospace engineer and principal investigator of this work for the U.S. Army’s Combat Capabilities Development …
A new robotic fabric structure, developed in the lab of Prof. Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio at Yale University, could lead to new innovations in adaptive clothing, self-deploying shelters, or lightweight shape-changing machinery. The robotic fabric created by the researchers has actuation, sensing and variable stiffness fibers while retaining the qualities desired in a fabric: flexibility, breathability, small storage …
Global industrial thread manufacturer Coats Group is launching Gotex StremX. According to Coats, it’s the first new product of its kind for the telecom cable industry in 20 years. For use as a strength member in fiber optic cables, it is the critical component that preserves the integrity and flexibility of cables to protect the …
October 6, 2020
Oros, the outdoor wear apparel known for using space-worthy aerogel for insulation, has collaborated with astronauts on a limited-edition jacket. The company reports that the same science used to insulate spacecraft at -450°F can also keep people warmer here on Earth than more typical insulation, such as goose feathers. NASA’s nearly weightless aerogel technology is the …
