Fiber Shredder unravels, preps materials for recycling

December 1, 2024  |  Swatches

University of Minnesota Duluth associate professor Abbie Clarke-Sather, Ph.D., envisions a world where textile recycling is commonplace. Where thrift stores, recycling facilities and clothing brands can manage their own textile waste, turning it back into fibers that can be reused instead of going t…
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Researchers develop MXene-based smart fabric

December 1, 2024  |  Swatches

University of Waterloo researchers in Waterloo, Ont., Canada, have developed a smart fabric that can convert body heat and solar energy into electricity. The fabric has the potential to replace current smart wearables that often require bulky external power sources and frequent charging.
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Research project spurs product development, HeroWear startup

December 1, 2024  |  Swatches

Sometimes new products emerge from existing textile businesses, and sometimes textile businesses emerge from new product ideas. For example, the company HeroWear LLC, out of Nashville, Tenn., makes the Apex and SABER soft exosuits for workers and the military respectively, and their initial developm…
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Nike, Hyperice collaborate on smart shoes and vest

December 1, 2024  |  Swatches

Nike and Hyperice, a technology company with a focus on products designed for recovery, mobility, and improved muscle and joint performance, have released two pieces of wearable technology: a pair of massaging, heating shoes and a vest that automatically heats and cools the wearer to achieve their d…
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Research into molecular electronics

December 1, 2024  |  Swatches

Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have taken a step toward ever-smaller devices with their work in the field of molecular electronics. 
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Compostable PLA eats itself

December 1, 2024  |  Swatches

The inclusion of a plastic-eating enzyme into the manufacture of polylactic acid (PLA) can make the material biodegradable, say researchers at the Toulouse Biotechnology Institute and French biotechnology company Carbios.
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Companies partner to make smart health wearables

December 1, 2024  |  Swatches

Taiwanese companies SINBON and MAKALOT are partnering in smart textile health and fitness wearables that could also incorporate artificial intelligence (AI). SINBON creates electronic components for medical, automotive, green energy, industrial and communication sectors, and MAKALOT has expertise in…
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Innovative shade solutions for boats

December 1, 2024  |  Features

The owner of a Ranger Tug wanted a full permanent top along with an enclosure on the aft deck, recalls Joshua Davis, owner of Hayden Island Canvas in Portland, Ore. Additionally, the client wanted extension awnings on the sides for more shade, and he wanted them to be angle adjustable.
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SMART ePANTS program works on computerized clothing

December 1, 2024  |  Features

Innovative technological advances sometimes require intensive research and partnership efforts with years of dedicated government funding. Such a program in the smart textiles area is the SMART ePANTS program, which stands for the Smart Electrically Powered and Networked Textile Systems. Intelligenc…
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ADVANCED TEXTILES EXPO 2024: Highlights from Anaheim

December 1, 2024  |  Expo Report, Features

Advanced Textiles Expo returned to Anaheim, Calif., this year, highlighting the unique West Coast textile industry and plenty of recent innovations.
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