Deployable inflatable robotics have multiple applications

November 8, 2021  |  What's New?

Robotics. Flexible robotics. Flexible, inflatable robotics. Deployable, inflatable robotic systems. At each step this method of addressing a range of challenges gets more complex, but the possibilities for its practical uses grow, as well. The fundamental properties are surprisingly similar, but the…
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Artificial spider silk could be scaled up for industrial use

October 25, 2021  |  What's New?

Spider silk is one of the strongest materials available and researchers have long tried to develop artificial spider silk, in particular for medical and industrial use. In a study published in Materials Today, researchers at the Karolinska Institutet and the Swedish University of Agricultural S…
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A new class of human-powered bioelectronics

October 11, 2021  |  What's New?

A team of bioengineers at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering has invented a novel, soft and flexible, self-powered bioelectronic device. The technology converts human body motions, from bending an elbow to subtle movements such as a pulse on one’s wrist, into electricity that could be us…
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Heart monitoring shirt made with flexible carbon nanotube fibers

October 11, 2021  |  What's New?

Researchers at Brown School of Engineering at Rice University, Houston, Texas, have successfully woven flexible carbon nanotube fibers into clothing for accurate and more comfortable heart monitoring. The lab of chemical and biomolecular engineer Matteo Pasquali reported in the American Chemical …
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New fabric heats on one side and cools on the other

September 27, 2021  |  What's New?

Scientists from China’s Zhejiang University and Westlake University have created a jacket out of an experimental, reversible fabric that can both heat and cool the wearer. The multi-layered “Janus textile” consists of a base of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) polymer fiber…
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Chronic wound dressing is made from human protein

September 13, 2021  |  What's New?

Customized, biomedically applicable materials based on tropoelastin, a human protein, are being developed in a joint project by Skinomics GmbH from Halle, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg and the Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS. The material combines bi…
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Yarn biodegrades for sustainable athletic garments

September 13, 2021  |  What's New?

High-performance cycling apparel brand Sher has chosen Italian fiber manufacturer Fulgar and other textile companies as leading partners in the sector of research and sustainable development, with the goal to reduce waste in raw materials, as well as to reduce overall environmental impact. The …
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Scientists 3D print shape-shifting “chainmail” fabric

August 23, 2021  |  What's New?

A new type of shape-shifting technology modeled on ancient chainmail armor has been developed by scientists at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University and Caltech in the U.S. Described by the researchers as a type of “wearable structured fabric,” the material is able to quickly ch…
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New clothing proven effective against mosquito bites

August 23, 2021  |  What's New?

North Carolina State University (NC State) researchers have created insecticide-free, mosquito-resistant clothing using textile materials they confirmed to be bite-proof in experiments with live mosquitoes. Using a computational model of their own design, they developed the materials which describes…
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Smart glove translates sign language

August 23, 2021  |  What's New?

Wulala Technology Co., a Chinese startup, has found a way to commercialize and mass produce a smart glove that can translate sign language into text or audible speech. The glove is worn on the user’s right hand and is paired via Bluetooth to a subscription-based app for smartphone. It incorpo…
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