A University of Texas at Dallas research team has made electrically conducting fibers that can be reversibly stretched to more than 14 times their initial length and whose electrical conductivity increases 200-fold when stretched.
MIT researchers reveal an interface that allows us to plug our brain into a computer
MIT senior, Christina Tringides, holds a sample of the multifunction fiber.
MIT researchers reveal an interface that could make plugging our brain into a computer a reality. Their system uses new fibers less than a width of a hair that could deliver optical signals and drugs directly into the brain, along with electrical readouts to continuously monitor the effects of the various inputs.
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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Artificial skin spun from spider silk
Spider silk could be an ideal answer for helping heal wounds.
Researchers may have found a better alternative for providing skin grafts to wounds. It turns out that spider silk is legendary for its strength, as well as its possible healing properties. Tissue engineer Hanna Wendt at Medical School Hannover in Germany honed in on this and found that by creating an artificial skin spun from spider silk, we could have an ideal answer for helping heal wounds.
Nano-Fabrics and Nano-Coatings in the Future
Nano-Netting – Super strong nano fibers so small they are invisible
to the human eye, giving the illusion of being suspended in air
Futurist Thomas Frey: Imagine walking into a store in the future, a store whose business is comprised solely of applying coatings to your clothing. All of the coatings will be invisible to the human eye.
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New Cotton Fabric That Remains Waterproof Through 250 Washes
Waterproof fabric developed that remains waterproof through 250 washes.
Scientists in Shanghai in China, have developed a waterproof cotton fabric that remains waterproof after going through a domestic wash at least 250 times.
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Genetically Modified Silkworms Produce Spider Silk
Transgenic silkworms capable of spinning artificial spider silks.
US biologists may have one-upped Spiderman, genetically modifying silkworms to produce spider silk with properties similar to natural spider web, a stunning achievement with vast potential medical and textile use. (video)
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Future of Fashion – Spray-On Clothes
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSZlHqXGz7I&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
A new liquid mixture will allow people to literally spray clothes onto their body. Once the mixture hits your body, it turns into a thin layer of fabric that can be peeled off, washed, and re-worn. Unfortunately, it’s also skintight.
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MIT Developing Fabric That Works Like A Camera
New technologies are being continuously developed to keep soldiers safe at the war front. With an imagination to see how best to equip the soldier of tomorrow, MIT researchers have developed light-detecting fibers that can be weaved into a web. Once weaved, these fibers work as a flexible camera. The fabric made from these fibers can be connected to a computer, which will display information on a small screen attached to a visor. Thus, a soldier will get to know of the different movements in his surroundings. While the research team said that such applications are far from real for now, the work to develop fabrics capable of capturing images is in full swing. The new fibers measure less than a millimeter in diameter and are made of layers of light-detecting materials nested.
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Self-Healing, Bendable Concrete For A Safer Infrastructure
Self-healing concrete works because it can bend.
A concrete material developed at the University of Michigan can heal itself when it cracks. No human intervention is necessary–just water and carbon dioxide.
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