Digital knitting machine

July 1, 2017  |  Projects

Nothing to wear? What if you could just push a button and print out a sweater? While it sounds like the stuff of science fiction, technology is revolutionizing the fashion industry in exciting ways—including the development of a 3-D printer for knitting. Called Kniterate, the printer automatically…
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A hammock/tent for sleeping in the air

July 1, 2017  |  Projects

Designed for one person—up to 250 pounds—REI’s Quarter Dome Air Hammock is a minimalist alternative to a tent. Lightweight and easy to set up and take down, it’s made of 15-denier ripstop nylon to provide tear-resistant protection. Settling into a fabric sling is great for relaxing or nappin…
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Woven metal fabric for space travel

July 1, 2017  |  Projects

Maybe it’s the Game of Thrones effect, because these days, metal fabrics are super hip. And just like the practical purpose they served in medieval times, a new woven metal fabric being developed by NASA can be put to use in a number of ways. Raul Polit Casillas, a systems engineer at NASA’s Jet…
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Durable, flexible fiber-reinforced hydrogel

July 1, 2017  |  Projects

Scientists at Hokkaido University in Sapporo, Japan, have combined hydrogels containing high levels of water with glass fiber fabric to create a flexible, reinforced material that is five times tougher than carbon steel. The researchers developed the durable, tensile material utilizing the same meth…
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Sustainable housing for eco-friendly living

June 29, 2017  |  Projects

Living sustainably often means challenging the status quo to develop new, more eco-friendly alternatives. That’s the case with Breathe—MINI Living, a unique housing prototype introduced at Milan Salone del Mobile 2017. Designed by New York-based architects SO-IL for MINI Living, Breathe—MINI L…
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Can you go home again?

June 1, 2017  |  Projects

Artist Do Ho Suh often explores the meaning of home, transience and identity in his work. His own journey, which led him from his native South Korea to New York and now London, was the inspiration for Passage/s, a recent exhibition at the Victoria Miro gallery in London. Passage/s explored the idea …
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Couture goes digital

June 1, 2017  |  Projects

More and more, fashion designers are looking to technology for their designs. To demonstrate the possibilities, Epson partnered with 13 designers from North America and Latin America to create one-of-a kind fashions using the company’s textile printers. The designs were showcased at the third annu…
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A portrait in tulle

June 1, 2017  |  Projects

Artist Benjamin Shine is known for creating distinctive pieces using fabric and other unique materials. The British designer, whose great-grandfather was a tailor, started early in the clothing industry working for a fashion company when he was a teenager. That experience sealed his interest in usin…
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A ‘frames and fabrics’ approach

June 1, 2017  |  Projects

These days, tradeshow booths are evolving to be more adaptable and sustainable by using unique materials. Now Netherlands-based Van Straaten Group and its North American member, Cees Smit Inc., have departed from the norm and developed an eco-friendly trade show booth that is completely wood-free. U…
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Clothing with a cause

June 1, 2017  |  Projects

Working for the ROTC at the University of Minnesota Duluth, Tech. Sgt. Jim Lewis interacts with active-duty service members and veterans as well as new recruits. He started to see a pattern among some of the veterans he met; too many of them who suffered with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) we…
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