Wearables with freedom
April 22, 2019
Movement and health monitoring enters the next generation. Editor’s note: Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) have had a series of breakthroughs in technologies that will improve health and wellness monitoring in smart garments. This article is a compilation of reports on this topic that were released
Read MoreE-textiles in health monitoring
April 8, 2019
AFFOA’s advanced textile fiber embedded with diodes is fine enough to thread a needle. Photo: MIT. The potential, progress and challenges for next generation smart garments. Among the many benefits promised by the smart fabric revolution has been the “consumerization of health care.” Wearables are enabling the remote monitoring of
Read MoreHidden textiles
March 25, 2019
Infrastructure and construction textiles grow in importance and focus on more sustainable alternatives. SCOURLOK and ARMORMAX Engineered Earth Armoring Solutions were used in a shoreline defense system, developed by Propex, to restore a severely eroded streambank along a section of Mountain Creek in Tennessee. Propex won an IFAI International Achievement
Read MoreSmart architecture
March 11, 2019
New forms offer promising small-scale, smart fabric applications. In the RESET Stress Reduction Pods designed by UNSense, three different pods are created with the smallest ‘Intimacy’ for reclining positions, ‘Mind & Body’ for meditation and stretching then ‘Escape’ for multiple positions. Photo: UNSense. The intense focus on IoT as the
Read MoreCommunicating with your attorney
February 25, 2019
Tips for working effectively with your intellectual property counsel. Preparation for meeting with counsel and healthy communication can help maximize an inventor’s intellectual property protections. For example, when seeking patent protection, inventors should always think carefully about the “big picture” benefit offered by their invention and communicate that benefit to
Read MoreUnderstanding IP law
February 11, 2019
Advice for innovators from innovators. Lumenus is a startup based in Los Angeles that develops smart technology for safety lighting including turn signals and brake lights on clothing and backpacks. Photo: Lumenus Editor’s note: I asked select entrepreneurs that I’ve met to answer questions about intellectual property (IP) law and
Read MoreFire danger!
January 21, 2019
NC State rises to the challenge of developing the next generation wildland fire shelter. Research in the lab compared with tests in the field have helped researchers develop a better wildland fire shelter for firefighter protection. Photo: NC State. The Textile Protection and Comfort Center at North Carolina State University
Read MoreComplete comfort
January 9, 2019
Paratroopers jump with the 517th Airlift Squadron during airborne training over Malemute drop zone, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Jan. 9, 2018. The Soldiers are trained to execute airborne maneuvers in extreme cold weather/high altitude environments in support of combat, training and disaster relief operations. Photo: U.S. Air Force by Alejandro
Read MoreSustainability successes in textiles
December 17, 2018
Both large picture and incremental changes can have a positive impact. Carpet and carpet fiber producer Shaw Industries achieved carbon neutrality in its commercial carpet manufacturing operations in May of this year. Photo: Shaw Industries. Two major challenges facing the advanced textile industry in its pursuit of sustainability are first,
Read MoreSustainability in the industry: where do we go next?
December 10, 2018
Textiles are part of a larger, more comprehensive sustainability picture. In-situ plasma reactions with various nonfluoro precursors have been used to make the surface of a textile hydrophobic. Photo: SMITA Research Lab, Indian Institute of Technology. Sustainability may be understood as a way to judiciously consume resources while leaving, or
Read More