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Smart fabric can generate electricity
January 1st, 2022
Made of electrospun polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and nylon, silver nanowires (AgNWs) and polystyrene (PS), the new all-fibrous composite nanogenerator (AF-TENG) can be easily incorporated into clothing, allowing it to power small electronics through everyday movements. Photo: Courtesy Nano Energy. The newest member of the wearable tech movement may one day be a fabric that can […]
Mushroom-based leather
January 1st, 2022
A new mushroom-based leather is developed by harvesting engineered mycelium cells to mimic the look and feel of traditional animal-based leather. Photo: MycoWorks. MycoWorks, a California-based biotech company, has created an eco-friendly, vegan leather derived from mushrooms. The leather turns mycelium, the microscopic, root-like threads of a mushroom that latch onto and colonize different substrates, […]
Sun-powered textiles
January 1st, 2022
In this prototype jacket from the Sun-Powered Textile Project a “porous” textile is laminated to commercially available solar cells, The energy-autonomous product can generate its own energy by using light as a renewable energy source. In addition to sunlight, it can also generate energy from artificial light. Photos: Anne Kinnunen. Researchers at Aalto University in […]
Stitchless, 3D, layered face mask launched
January 1st, 2022
Created by Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka, the AIRism 3D mask will be launched by Japanese brand UNIQLO early in 2022. The mask’s three-dimensional curved silhouette is designed to offer effective protection while resting comfortably on the face. The mask’s three layers include an inner layer of breathable mesh made with “AIRism,” a built-in nonwoven filter and an outer […]
A new class of human-powered bioelectronics
January 1st, 2022
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 used to power wearable and implantable diagnostic sensors. The researchers […]
Origami design creates a portable canoe
January 1st, 2022
The designers that launched MyCanoe nearly five years ago have been through several iterations of their packable canoe. The company’s most recent product is a lightweight, durable, foldable canoe, inspired by origami, that packs in a portable case, assembles in less than five minutes and fits in the back of most vehicles. The body of […]
Artificial industrial-use spider silk developed
January 1st, 2022
Researchers at the Karolinska Institutet and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) announced that they have developed spider silk that can be produced in large volumes without strong chemicals. This would make it possible to scale up this strong fiber for industrial and medical applications. “In this study, we have developed a production method […]
PrimaLoft® manufacturing platform reduces carbon emissions
January 1st, 2022
PrimaLoft Inc., developer of high-performance insulations and fabrics, has announced enhancements to its PrimaLoft® P.U.R.E.™ manufacturing platform. P.U.R.E. (Produced Using Reduced Emissions), a proprietary, renewable manufacturing technology, now achieves up to 70 percent reduction in carbon emissions. “We looked at the whole manufacturing process and focused on where all the dirty emissions are coming from,” […]
Growth path
January 1st, 2022
Photography by Mark Skalny / www.markskalnyphotography.com Like many textile entrepreneurs, Amy Bircher got her start in the industry in a family business—even as she blazed her own path. “I got into the textile industry because my family owned a dyeing and finishing facility of wide fabric, broad-woven fabrics in the Carolinas,” Bircher says. In 1980, […]
Anybody out there?
January 1st, 2022
The pandemic may be loosening its stranglehold in many parts of the U.S. but its effects are still being felt across the country in the form of supply issues, logistic and transportation challenges, and labor shortages. The latter may be the most vexing of all for business owners who see the jobs coming back but […]