Out There – Advanced Textiles Source

Fabric has user-controlled color and pattern function

June 11, 2018

Photo: College of Optics and Photonics at the University of Central Florida. The College of Optics and Photonics (CREOL) at the University of Central Florida (UCF) announces that it has produced a fabric that allows the user to change the color or pattern of the fabric via smartphone. According to

Snake skins used in tribology study at Drexel University

June 11, 2018

Dr. Hisham Abdel-Aal has collected and studied hundreds of snakeskin samples from 40 different species. Photo: Drexel University. A Drexel University professor is studying snakes and their skins to better understand traction and to help engineers improve the design of textured surfaces such as engine cylinder liners, prosthetic joints and

Paradiddle: a 3D-printed drumming prosthesis

June 6, 2018

An open-source 3D-printed upper-extremity prosthesis gives drummers who have lost a hand or arm a new way to play. Working with renowned drummer Greg Anton, who lost his left hand, “Paradiddle” designer Dominic Siguang Ma developed unique features that allow the drummer to play intuitively and comfortably. One of Siguang Ma’s main challenges was to

Fabric sculpture purifies the air

May 7, 2018

Photo: Luke Hayes, posted on Designboom.com A giant, air-purifying sculpture is not just art; it has the ability to absorb emissions from 90,000 cars per year, its creators say. “Breath/ng” by Kengo Kuma, initially on display during Milan’s 2018 Design Week, is composed of 120 hand-folded panels inspired by Japanese

Shoes are hand-made from fungi

April 23, 2018

Photo: nat-2. Engineering firm nat-2 has developed fungi footwear made of “mushroom leather” that has a vintage look and is reported to be very soft. The leather-like material is created from the trama of the tinder sponge, fomes fomentarius, which grows on dead or weak birches and beeches. The material is organic

“SHIFT” from acoustic panel to shelving

April 9, 2018

A new retail shelving system called SHIFT is made from up-cycled end-of-life textiles from the fashion and textile industries. When folded against a surface, SHIFT serves an acoustic wall panel. Photo: LAYER. Benjamin Hubert’s London design agency LAYER will be launching a flexible, retail shelf system for Danish textile manufacturer

Digitally woven textiles copy origami paper structures

March 26, 2018

This illustrates the Archifolds y-series product accomplished by origami techniques translated into a digital weaving process. Photo: josefien eikenaar. Studio Samira Boon collaborated with the TextielMuseum’s TextielLab in Tilburg, the Netherlands, and Professor T. Tachi from the University of Tokyo to translate traditional paper folding into digital weaving techniques. The

Muskin “leather” is grown from fungus spores

March 12, 2018

Fashion accessories, such as handbags, have been made with a substitute leather called muskin. Photo: Raghunath Rajaram / GradoZero Espace. The production of leather and textiles is often a resource-heavy process, and the industries are responsible for diverse impacts, including human, animal or ecological, depending on the material type and

Cephalopods may be the key to better camouflage for soldiers

March 12, 2018

The color-changing capability of cephalopods may help researchers develop more effective camouflage for soldiers’ uniforms. Photo: Wikipedia/Hans Hillewaer. U.S. Army Operational Camouflage Pattern uniforms could benefit from a new study about cephalopods. A research team led by Leila Deravi at Northeastern University has set out to discover how the stealth

Waterproof boots are made from corn

January 22, 2018

Your new rain boots could offer something quite distinctive; the smell of popcorn while doing chores or stomping through puddles. These nature-inspired, waterproof boots are made from rubber and recycled non-food-grade corn. They’re designed by Sebastian Thies and manufactured by the German company nat-2™ in Italy. Besides the distinct smell