Breakthroughs in advanced textiles: robotic glove, energy harvesting, solar-powered structures, camouflaging wearable, decomposing t-shirt

July 1, 2020  |  Advanced Textiles

Robotic glove for hand paralysis San Francisco, Calif.-based technology start-up Neofect has developed a robotic glove to help patients suffering from paralysis. The product prototype, Neomano, is a smart glove designed for patient rehabilitation of the hand following a stroke, spinal cord injury or…
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Protective fabric mesh surrounds a landmark tower

June 1, 2020  |  Markets

A fabric-clad tower in southern Germany brings technicians, elevator experts and the public together in one spectacular vertical setting. By Bruce N. Wright, FAIA Paris’s Eiffel Tower, London’s Big Ben, China’s Three Pagodas, Iraq’s spiral minaret: Over time, all became more than just their …
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Sustainability and value: Biomaterials and biomimetics become green alternatives

June 1, 2020  |  Advanced Textiles

by Glenna B. Musante Textile and outdoor gear communities are looking for ways to limit the use of petroleum products. To achieve this goal, apparel and gear brands, as well as ingredient manufacturers within the textile industry supply chain, are beginning to replace or augment plastics and polyest…
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Nonwoven fabrics on the frontline of infection containment

May 1, 2020  |  Markets

By Jeff Moravec It’s easy to misunderstand viral respiratory diseases, whether the current pandemic outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) or past events such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2002−2003. When they fade from the news, people often assume it’s because a cure was…
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How U.S. trade actions affect the textile industry

May 1, 2020  |  Advanced Textiles

by Lawrence A. Ward and Dave Townsend The textile trade has long been complicated, requiring careful attention to the source and production methods throughout the supply chain to determine whether imports were allowed under quotas or what tariff rate applied to the imports. Although the Trump admini…
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Call for Papers: World Congress on Textile Coating, Nov. 19-20

April 2, 2020  |  Advanced Textiles, Industry News

The organizers of the successful and long-running conference series Textile Coating and Laminating (TCL) have announced its expansion and refocus as the World Congress on Textile Coating (WCTC20). The event will debut in Berlin on November 19-20, 2020. The venue hotel is the Novotel Berlin Am Tierga…
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Disaster shelter design competition tests engineering students

April 1, 2020  |  Markets

John Brown University’s disaster shelter contest challenges students to develop and demonstrate solutions for emergency scenarios. By Holly Eamon Global economic losses from natural disasters topped $232 billion last year, rounding out a decade that cost the world nearly $3 trillion, according to …
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Sustainable synthetics

April 1, 2020  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

Sustainability issues leap to the forefront in creating new synthetic fibers. by Ericka Ford, Ph.D. Philosopher scientist Robert Hooke’s 17th-century belief that plants eaten by the silkworm could spin into a silk alternative was an oversimplification of the biological processes that ultimately al…
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IFAI update on Covid-19/Coronavirus preparedness from Geosynthetics Conference 2020: Case Studies

March 6, 2020  |  Geosynthetics, Industry News, News

We understand concerns about COVID-19/Coronavirus are top of mind, and we want to be as transparent as possible and share information about what we are doing to prepare for the Geosynthetics Conference: CASE STUDIES 2020 in North Charleston, SC USA. Many of our exhibitors will be onsite soon to setu…
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New standard makes protective apparel safer

March 1, 2020  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

by Glenna B. Musante Improving safety apparel for workers operating in hazardous situations is a constant focus of the textile industry, but it is a task not always easily accomplished. Hazardous materials professionals can be exposed to any number of chemical, biological and flammable materials in …
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