Smart pillow tracks sleep

October 1, 2022  |  Swatches

Many people who struggle to get enough sleep could benefit from monitoring their sleep, but they have limited options for doing so. In a new study in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, a research team describes a potential solution: a self-powering smart pillow that tracks the position of the h…
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Motion and posture sensing textiles

September 1, 2022  |  Swatches

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have come up with a novel fabrication process to produce smart textiles that can snugly conform to physical requirements by sensing the posture and motion of the wearer. By incorporating a special type of plastic yarn and using heat to s…
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Leather from invasive species

September 1, 2022  |  Swatches

The latest member of the alternative textile family is called Leukeather and is made from dried Leucaena pods, a byproduct of existing agriculture.
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Mushroom apparel

September 1, 2022  |  Swatches

California-based biomaterials innovator MycoWorks has launched its first items made from the flagship mycelium material, Reishi™. The collection by hatmaker Nick Fouquet includes the Boletus bucket hat, Coprinus and Morchella hats, available in limited runs.
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Turning leather waste into textile coatings

September 1, 2022  |  Swatches

CITEVE, the Technological Centre for the Textile and Clothing Industry of Portugal, has developed a process for turning natural leather waste and by-products from the tanning industry into new textile coatings. The process chemically transforms leather trimmings into a solution which can be used to …
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Smart textiles poised for growth

September 1, 2022  |  Swatches

According to a report published by Global Market Insights Inc., the global smart and interactive textiles market is expected to reach about $16.4 billion by 2030 . 
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Graphene nanotubes in yarn

September 1, 2022  |  Swatches

Because of the high demand for interactive electronic textiles, CoatYarn, an Italian company that, as its name suggests, specializes in coated yarns, has expanded its product line with a thermoplastic polyurethane yarn enhanced with graphene nanotubes provided by OCSiAl, maker of single wall carbon …
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Energy from fabric

September 1, 2022  |  Swatches

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore have developed a stretchable and waterproof fabric that turns energy generated from body movements into electrical energy.
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Fabric with built-in “muscle”

September 1, 2022  |  Swatches

Researchers at Sensory Motor Systems Lab at ETH Zurich have developed a wearable exo-muscle made of fabric. The Myoshirt is a soft, wearable technology to give people with limited mobility more strength and endurance in their upper body. The product features a vest with cuffs for the upper arms and …
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Micro-weighted clothing

September 1, 2022  |  Swatches

Athletes and exercise enthusiasts have been training for a long time using weights, but that has generally meant carrying weights, or strapping them to legs or arms. Omorpho Inc., a Portland, Oregon-based start-up, has a better idea; it uses micro-weights embedded in clothing to increase resistance.…
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