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MIT dataset helps predict biodegradable polyesters
January 1st, 2024
Each image was taken eight hours apart and shows the progress of the polymer-eating bacteria. Researchers analyzed a library of 642 polyesters and polycarbonates to predict how biodegradable they are. Image: MIT Biodegradable polymers, including those found in textiles, are a huge area of current research, in part because even some materials that are labeled […]
Photonic fibers could help in recycling textiles
July 1st, 2023
Chemical Engineering Professor Max Stein and Brian Iezzi, post-doctoral researcher, analyze the fabric with photonic fibers woven into it at the Materials Science and Engineering Department, at the University of Michigan’s North Campus Research Center in Ann Arbor, Mich. Photo: Marcin Szczepanski/University of Michigan When it comes to recycling, one issue is the efficient and […]
MIT suit designed to educate about aging
June 1st, 2023
Chris Hemsworth (left) is outfitted in the MIT AgeLab’s AGNES suit on a recent episode of the documentary series “Limitless with Chris Hemsworth.” Photo: MIT AgeLab Visitors to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) AgeLab in the Center for Transportation and Logistics are greeted by a striking image: a mannequin in a jumpsuit and red goggles. But […]
Longer-lasting implantable batteries
February 1st, 2023
Researchers at MIT have come up with a way to improve the energy density of nonrechargeable batteries that could enable up to a 50 percent increase in useful lifetime, or a corresponding decrease in size and weight for a given amount of power or energy capacity. The new technology could also improve safety, with little […]
3D Knit BioSuit
January 1st, 2023
A view of the prototype BioSuit sleeve, showing its different functions. Photo: MIT Space is referred to as a vacuum because there is a near-total lack of gas molecules. That means there’s also a complete lack of pressure, so the air inside an unprotected astronaut’s lungs would quickly rush out of the body, gasses in […]
Improving the design of soft, assistive wearables
July 1st, 2022
Scientists from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have devised a scalable pipeline to computationally design and digitally fabricate soft pneumatic actuators. Called “PneuAct,” it has resolved the challenge with soft robotics, which have required manual design and fabrication. PneuAct uses a machine knitting process, which operates autonomously. A human designer specifies the […]
MIT creates weavable battery
February 1st, 2022
This submarine drone is powered by a 20-meter-long fiber battery that is wrapped on its surface. Photo: MIT. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a rechargeable lithium-ion battery in the form of an ultra-long fiber that could be woven into fabrics. The battery could enable a wide variety of wearable electronic devices […]
Eco-friendly passive cooling solution
February 1st, 2022
Nanopores in fabrics made of PE allow heat to escape from the body. Photos: MIT Dept. of Mechanical Engineering. Scientists from MIT’s Dept. of Mechanical Engineering have developed a means to modify fibers of PE (polyethylene), found in plastic wrap and grocery bags, to create fabrics that absorb and evaporate water more quickly than common […]
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 […]
E-fiber just got smarter
September 1st, 2021
MIT researchers have created the first fabric fiber with digital capabilities, ready to collect, store and analyze data using a neural network. “This work presents the first realization of a fabric with the ability to store and process data, adding a new information content dimension to textiles and allowing fabrics to be programmed literally,” says […]