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HON partners with Seaqual Initiative
July 6th, 2023
Plastic breaks down in the oceans into microplastics, which are threatening the food web. Photo: Naja Bertolt Jensen on Unsplash Twelve million tons of plastic enter the ocean every year and remain in the water for centuries. Ocean plastics are among the most alarming environmental concerns, permeating the food chain through all species, including ourselves. […]
Denim waste becomes a jet plane (artwork), cabinetry
July 1st, 2023
Artist Maartin Baas wanted to make a statement about the tension between people’s desire for the “new” and the need to actually have less and use fewer resources. Though the plane is just a metaphor, the jeans cabinets, made from recycled denim board, are available for purchase. Photos: G-Star One company’s textile waste is another’s […]
Photonic fibers could help in recycling textiles
July 1st, 2023
Chemical Engineering Professor Max Stein and Brian Iezzi, post-doctoral researcher, analyze the fabric with photonic fibers woven into it at the Materials Science and Engineering Department, at the University of Michigan’s North Campus Research Center in Ann Arbor, Mich. Photo: Marcin Szczepanski/University of Michigan When it comes to recycling, one issue is the efficient and […]
USDA develops reusable cotton antimicrobial wipes
July 1st, 2023
ARS researchers (from left) Sunghyun Nam, Matthew Hillyer and Pablo Salame use the needle punching process to produce washable antimicrobial cotton wipes in the nonwoven pilot plant at the ARS Southern Regional Research Center in New Orleans. Photo: Crista Madison/USDA ARS U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) researchers have developed machine-washable cotton […]
RadiciGroup debuts 100% castor bean yarn
July 1st, 2023
Biofeel® Eleven yarn is made from 100% castor bean oil. The beans are grown on semiarid land and do not compete with food production. After the oil is removed from the beans, the remnants can be returned to the soil as fertilizer. Photo: © Tetiana Kovalenko, Dreamstime.com RadiciGroup recently developed sustainable, recyclable yarn called Biofeel® […]
Synthetic spider silk created using mussels
July 1st, 2023
Engineers developed a method to create synthetic spider silk at high yields while retaining strength and toughness using mussel foot proteins. Photo: Zhang laboratory, Washington University Its strength and flexibility in comparison to its weight have made bioengineering spider silk on a commercial scale a challenge for decades. Fuzhong Zhang, professor of energy, environmental and […]
Zebra stripes inspire a new wearable technology
July 1st, 2023
A thermal image taken of zebras at the London Zoo shows that their legs are cooler than their head and neck and especially their mane. The red stripes correspond to the zebra’s visible black stripes, which retain heat from the sun longer than the white stripes. Scientists have learned that the animal can raise the […]
Researchers expand study on muscle atrophy
July 1st, 2023
Researchers at The Ohio State University have fabricated a wearable sensor designed to detect and monitor muscle atrophy, a condition that’s typically caused by degenerative disease, aging or muscle disuse. The practice of using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess muscle size and volume can require frequent testing, but this can be time consuming and […]
On-demand color-changing fabric technology developed
July 1st, 2023
Fiber optic and fiber-device scientists in the laboratories of the University of Central Florida (UCF) have developed an innovative textile that changes color and appearance on demand. The scientists believe that their ChroMorphous technology is a first in e-textiles, as older versions of color-changing fabrics need sunlight or body heat to work. The fibers in […]
Soft robotic biomedical devices function magnetically
July 1st, 2023
One of the challenges of minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery lies in getting surgical instruments into the patient’s body via a narrow catheter. Scientists may have found a solution with magnetic instruments that pop into and out of shape as needed. The experimental MaSoChain (magnetic soft-robotic chain) system was developed at Switzerland’s ETH Zurich research institute […]