Textile-based robots

September 1, 2018  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

A Harvard collaboration develops soft, wearable robotics for hands. Soft, wearable robotics is an emerging field that looks at methods of enabling functional, powered support to assist human movements using lightweight, low-profile and flexible materials such as textiles. A diverse team of researche…
Read More
Textile-based bio materials mend bodies

July 30, 2018  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

Textile-based biomaterials, or biotextiles, have the longest history in the field of biomaterials. In ancient China and Egypt as far back as 2000 B.C., natural fibers such as linen, silk, bark, horsehair and dried guts were used as suture materials for wound closure. The introduction of steel wire a…
Read More
New technologies make textiles interactive and smarter

July 1, 2018  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

Textiles are well established as passive materials offering comfort and protection, as well as design and fashion choices. With strong interest in promoting textile manufacturing and enhancing the utility and performance of textiles, academia and government researchers have initiated efforts to enab…
Read More
Redefining textiles

June 1, 2018  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

New materials and manufacturing processes give the word “textile” new meaning. Textile technology is undergoing a revolution, with innovative structures, raw materials and manufacturing platforms creating new fabrics that defy old-school definitions. Introductory textile science classes teach th…
Read More
Developing NASA’s next-generation spacesuit

May 1, 2018  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

Human space exploration is one of the most ambitious and exciting endeavors upon which we’ve ever embarked, and it has always been an integral part of the U.S. space program. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) sent our first astronaut, Alan Shepard, on a suborbital flight in …
Read More
Academia and business forge new alliances

April 1, 2018  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

From small startups to global companies, academia and business forge alliances. Early in 2018, Greensboro, N.C.-based VF Corp. and North Carolina State University (NC State) announced a strategic, multi-year partnership to “support student development at NC State and advance apparel and textiles i…
Read More
IPC committee seeks comments on e-textiles industry standard

March 1, 2018  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

In July 2017, IPC (Association Connecting Electronics Industries) hosted the first web meeting of the IPC E-Textiles Materials Subcommittee. Formed by volunteers from the e-textiles community, the group had approached IPC with interest in developing industry standards for e-textiles. IPC was chosen …
Read More
New substrates for smart fabrics

January 1, 2018  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

Manufacturers of smart fabrics are looking for new, novel textile substrates. A key takeaway from the Smart Fabrics Program and E-Textiles Workshop at the 2017 IFAI Expo was the symbiotic relationship between smart technologies and the development of suitable textile substrates to facilitate the des…
Read More
Training and education for the high-tech textile industry

December 1, 2017  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

According to Deloitte’s 2016 Global Manufacturing Competitive Index (GMCI) report, the United States looks set to overtake China as the world’s most competitive manufacturing nation within five years. The textile industry is a significant part of that repositioning in its moves to bring manufact…
Read More
A new NAFTA?

December 1, 2017  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump promised to improve U.S. trade deals, including the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Since taking office and subsequently threatening to withdraw the United States from NAFTA unless the terms were renegotiated, Mexico and Canada have been cajoled…
Read More