A new use for waste wool

October 1, 2022  |  Swatches

Woola, a startup based in Estonia, has found a way to use waste wool to replace the plastic used in packaging. In a previous incarnation as an e-commerce business, the company relied on plastic packaging made of fossil fuels. But ecologists say plastic is not good for the planet. Bubble wrap, for ex…
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Silicone synthetic leather for cars

October 1, 2022  |  Swatches

Sage-ONF, a synthetic leather supplier based in Shanghai, China, has begun manufacturing silicone synthetic leather, a petroleum-free, non-carbon-based product solution for today’s automobile interiors. 
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An acoustic vest

October 1, 2022  |  Swatches

The stethoscope has been used by medical professionals for more than 200 years, giving instant audio feedback on a patient’s lungs, heart or other organs. Researchers of the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS in Berlin, Germany, have developed the Pneumo.Vest with integ…
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Copper-based medical garments

October 1, 2022  |  Swatches

Swiss Precision, an apparel brand for the medical scrub, uniform and accessories markets, hopes to disrupt the medical sector with antimicrobial copper-based garments and accessories.  
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New life for an abandoned mill

October 1, 2022  |  Swatches

A new cut-and-sew manufacturing operation, called Sparty Mill,  has opened in Lincoln County, N.C., as part of a plan to revive an old mill building. The mill, built in 1905, had previously been home to Duplan Mills, Hudson Hosiery, Chadbourn Industries, Spanco, and six other textile operations, b…
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Bio-Based Spandex

October 1, 2022  |  Swatches

Hyosung TNC, one of the world’s largest spandex manufacturers, has created the world’s first bio-based spandex.
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Glove senses and grips objects

October 1, 2022  |  Swatches

Scientists at Virginia Tech have developed a glove for grasping things underwater with rubber suckers and a sophisticated sensing capability that mimics an octopus’s unique muscular and nervous systems. The octopus is well equipped to handle objects in the water, facilitated by more than 2,000 suc…
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3D printed shoe adapts to ergonomics

October 1, 2022  |  Swatches

In a reinterpretation of classic shoe design, German design studio Wertel Oberfell’s Auxetic Wear is a 3D printed shoe that uses an auxetic structure to adapt itself to the ergonomics of its wearer’s foot. Combining traditional shoemaking with modern technology, the designers emulate techniques …
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Twisted soft robots navigate mazes

October 1, 2022  |  Swatches

Researchers from North Carolina State University (NC State) and the University of Pennsylvania have developed soft robots that can navigate complex environments such as mazes without input from humans or computer software.
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Blizzbrush cleans teeth in seconds

October 1, 2022  |  Swatches

The Blizzbrush 5.0 Toothbrush-Sponge is an example of a radical change in application using a relatively common material. The new toothbrush design conceived by Chris Martin is meant to optimize tooth-cleaning efficiency, cleaning all over the mouth in just a few seconds by simply biting and grindin…
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