Fabrics may soon be able to yield more health data than devices

smart-clothing

Data from smart apparel will begin carving a health roadmap for the wearer.

What if your outfit made more than a fashion statement? Thanks to miniaturization and state-of-the-art integration of electronics, smart clothing is a burgeoning new space in which sensors are now fixed, woven, and embedded into everyday wear. Hap Klopp, founder of North Face, says, “Fabrics will generate more data than devices in the next 10 years.” Many analysts estimate large-scale adoption by 2020.

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This fabric pen can magically mend torn clothing

fabric pen 3

Fabric Pen

The average American throws out around 70 pounds of clothing and other textiles like shoes and sheets every year. The problem is that clothes are so cheap that it’s easier to replace something than repair it if a piece happens to tear. Many of us no longer even know how to sew. One survey in the U.K. found that 7 in 10 young adults couldn’t even sew on a button, let alone make a more complicated repair.

 

 

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Chromosonic color-changing fabric could turn you into a chameleon

experimental-fabric

Color-changing fabric

We haven’t quite figured out how to make a real invisibility cloak yet, we are coming up with better ways to camouflage ourselves. And what better way to do that than taking a cue from nature? Wouldn’t it be cool if we could change the color of our clothes like the chameleon changes the color of its skin? Textile designer Judit Eszter Karpati may have found a way to do that, thanks to the use of an experimental fabric she created that changes color on the fly. (Video)

 

 

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Solar-powered batteries woven into fabric boost wearable technology

battery

flexible polymer solar cells are integrated into the textile battery eliminating the need for connecting the battery to a power outlet for recharging.

Google Glass and a wave of smartwatches are just some of the choices in wearable electronics, and they are quickly multiplying. But the batteries still need to be plugged into something to charge up. What if your watch strap could contain the battery components, along with a flexible solar cell? Voilà: No more plugging in.

 

 

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3D printed biodegradable underwear can be made in 3 seconds

3D printed underwear.

For those who hate to do laundry the days of washing your underwear may soon be over. Thanks to the power and versatility of 3D textile printing, the Tamicare company has created a biodegradable and completely customizable fabric that comes in any desired shape, with no fabric waste. (Video)

 

 

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Electricity-creating fabric could be everywhere soon

David Carroll, nanotechnologist at Wake Forest University.

Nanotechnologist, David Carroll, is working on a simple material that he thinks will soon be a part of everything you own.  Carroll’s research group at Wake Forest University developed a flexible fabric that makes electricity from heat or movement. It could revolutionize cheap, renewable energy.

 

 

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Heated farbric using carbon nanotube coated fibers

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3A_lpEO0t8&hd=1[/youtube]

Kuraray Living and  Hokkaido University have been working together to create a soft washable fabric woven with carbon nanotube coated fibers that produces heat when electricity is applied. So when it’s perfected, your electric blanket could get a lot less bulky.

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Power Felt – thermoelectric fabric lets you sit on your phone to power it

Power Felt

Power Felt

A Wake Forest University’s Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials team has created a new thermoelectric fabric they call Power Felt. It’s constructed of “tiny carbon nanotubes locked up in flexible plastic fibers,” though the final product looks and feels like fabric, and creates and electrical charge from changes in temperature–like, say, touching it with your hot finger, or sitting on it with your hot butt (hot in this case referring to temperature and thus wholly inoffensive science).

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Discover the Hidden Patterns of Tomorrow with Futurist Thomas Frey
Unlock Your Potential, Ignite Your Success.

By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.

Learn More about this exciting program.