Providing your own power
January 1st, 2022
Biofuel cells harvesting energy from sweat, part of a wearable microgrid developed at the Center for Wearable Sensors, UC San Diego. Photo: Lu Yin. Power and efficiency are important drivers in energy harvesting technology for e-textiles, but there is much more to consider. Bulk, weight, flexibility, sustainability, ease of integration and scalability are also among […]
New solutions in solar shade
October 1st, 2021
The SoFi Stadium’s ETFE roof provides a “fifth dimension” with an LED system embedded into the ETFE to project images and show live events from inside the stadium. These images can be seen from the air by the more than 80 million passengers traveling through the Los Angeles International Airport annually without sacrificing the transparency […]
Advanced textiles rocketing into the future
August 1st, 2021
During a spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Aug. 22, 2019, astronaut Nick Hague debuted the Artemis program identity in space. Hague and fellow crewmember Andrew Morgan installed the second International Docking Adapter on the complex to enable commercial spacecraft from Boeing and SpaceX to carry astronauts to the station. NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration […]
DITF celebrates 100 years of textile innovation
June 1st, 2021
The German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research (DITF) is the largest textile research center in Europe, with roots that go back 100 years to the first German Research Institute for the Textile Industry, established in Reutlingen in 1921. As the institute expanded to additional locations in Stuttgart and Denkendorf, it merged in 1979 to […]
Electric and solar vehicles drive the future of automotive textiles
May 1st, 2021
BMW’s future interactive car interior (2020) is designed with BYBORRE textiles featuring the i Interaction EASE cabin, which uses smart surfaces that transform into three modes of experience: exploration, entertainment and ease. Photo: BYBORRE. Marie O’Mahony and Debra Cobb contributed content to this article. Recent reports illuminate key factors that will influence the automotive textiles […]
Commercial viability boosts the visibility of wearable technology
January 1st, 2021
The Berlin-based startup Boltware collaborated with H&M Lab in Germany to create a denim jacket that uses sensing technology to give the wearer the feeling of being touched by a loved one. Photo: Boltware. by Marie O’Mahony In the midst of the reworking of so many segments of the textile industry due to the pandemic, […]
Designing for lightness in fabric structures
October 1st, 2020
A new book examines sustainability in materials design. By Marie O’Mahony Editor's note: Marie O’Mahony will moderate a panel session led by author Ed van Hinte on Nov. 5 at IFAI Virtual Expo 2020. The session will provide an updated view on lightness in design and how the world might benefit from it. As the […]
Geography and climate drive Australia’s technical textiles industry
September 1st, 2020
Developments in geotextiles, renewable energy and recreation stem from Australia’s extreme environment. By Marie O’Mahony Australia’s geographic isolation puts the country and its technical textile industry in a novel position. The country is rich in natural resources, mining and exporting coal, iron ore, petroleum gas, zinc ore and other materials. The mining industry directly and […]
Sustainable practices in today’s textile industry
February 1st, 2020
by Marie O’Mahony The story of sustainability in the textile industry has grown and changed, particularly in the last decade. The concept of “circularity” is now driving sustainability across the materials sector. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, “A circular economy is based on the principles of designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and […]
Making decisions in an uncertain trade environment
January 1st, 2020
By Marie O’Mahony Editor’s note: The issue of U.S. trade is unusually dynamic and evolving today. The majority of this article represents information available when the speakers presented at IFAI Expo in October 2019. With current international trade in a persistent state of flux, it’s tempting for the advanced textiles industry to stand by and […]