Mycelium used as leather alternative in hat collection

November 1, 2023  |  Swatches

Luxury hatmaker Nick Fouquet, headquartered in Venice, Calif., collaborated with MycoWorks, a biomaterials technology company based in San Francisco, Calif., to add three new hats to its Made with Reishi™ collection launched in July 2022.
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Foldable boat assembles and sails within minutes

November 1, 2023  |  Swatches

IZIBoat®, a shipbuilding and repair company in La Rochelle, France, has created a foldable catamaran that users can assemble in 15 minutes—without the need for tools or screws.
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Stretchable battery prototype may enhance wearable tech

November 1, 2023  |  Swatches

Researchers at the University of Houston in Texas have created a stretchable fabric-based lithium-ion battery, broadening the future of wearable technology.
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Biodegradable circuit boards: Easier electronics recycling

November 1, 2023  |  Swatches

Plants could help lower electronics waste and better recycle precious metals components thanks to the development of natural-fiber circuit boards. The Soluboard®, made of flax, jute and hemp encased in a water-soluble polymer, was created by Jiva Materials in England. Soluboard replaces circuit boa…
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Gingerbread ingredient could recycle cotton-poly blends

November 1, 2023  |  Swatches

Chemists at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark have learned that an Old World leavening agent used in gingerbread can separate cotton-poly blended fibers. The baking ingredient hartshorn salt, also known as ammonium bicarbonate, is key to the process, plus the nontoxic solvent ethylene glycol a…
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Stretchy LEDs may have clothing, packaging, biomedical uses

November 1, 2023  |  Swatches

Building on previous research that created stretchable inkjet LEDs, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., have reformulated the ink to come out of a pen for writing by hand as well, much like layering writing with multicolored pens. 
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Bacterial cellulose used to make biodegradable packaging

November 1, 2023  |  Swatches

Scientists at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) have developed an edible and biodegradable material that may be an alternative to conventional plastic food packaging.
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Lighter, flexible chemical protective suit being developed

November 1, 2023  |  Swatches

Workers at the risk of exposure to chemical, biological or radioactive hazards often need to wear heavy, bulky suits for protection. Researchers at the German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF), in partnership with several companies and fire departments, are working to develo…
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Inflatable space habitats undergo testing

October 1, 2023  |  Swatches

Inflatable habitats are not only under development for the moon but also low Earth orbit (LEO). Sierra Space Corp. and Blue Origin are two of the organizations involved with the Orbital Reef, the first commercial space station. The goal is having it operational before the end of the decade because t…
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nanoTRAINO: Outdoor emergency stretcher sled gets lighter

October 1, 2023  |  Swatches

When you’re backpacking or cross-country skiing, every ounce counts. Nano Adventure’s latest version of the nanoTRAINO portable stretcher and sled is lighter, more compact and, at the same time, more durable than the first iteration, due to a change in its fabric. It weighs about a pound and rol…
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