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Vollebak jacket changes color depending on type of light
June 1st, 2024
Vollebak took its Solar Charged Jacket to another level by adding two fluorescent layers to three phosphorescent ones. The new Firefly Jacket changes color based on light, from orange to copper to “kryptonite” green—and fluorescent yellow when under a blacklight. It requires no lag time to charge. Images: Vollebak/Sun Lee Vollebak materials scientists have developed […]
Thermal camouflage jacket
December 1st, 2022
British performance apparel brand Vollebak has released details of a new Thermal Camouflage Jacket, which incorporates 42 patches of graphene, individually controlled via microcomputer to emit different levels of thermal radiation without any change to their actual temperature. Programming the patches to have the same level of thermal radiation as their surroundings makes them appear […]
Start-up makes hemp clothing
September 1st, 2022
Photo: Vollebak London-based high-tech clothing startup Vollebak has just launched hoodies and sweatpants made entirely out of hemp and black algae. Carbon black, a pigment derived from petroleum, is “one of the most harmful yet invisible substances on the planet,” the company says. It will replace this with color made from black algae, which grows […]
Building a jacket that’s more than waterproof
February 1st, 2022
British adventure clothing brand Vollebak has launched a jacket it says is not just waterproof, it’s waterfall proof. The outer layer of the company’s Waterfallproof Puffer was inspired by the famously waterproof lotus leaf, which may look completely flat, but the surface is covered with microscopic bumps that cause water droplets to roll off it, […]
Sweater developed from high-tech refuse
November 1st, 2021
London, U.K.-based company Vollebak has introduced a new sweater made from materials retrieved from landfill refuse. Built from old bulletproof vests and firefighter suits that were no longer usable, the Garbage Sweater is not only rugged, comfortable and attractive—it’s fireproof as well. Made in France from 70 percent recycled meta-aramid and 30 percent para-aramid, the […]
Puffer jacket is solar charged for visibility
March 1st, 2021
High-tech apparel brand Vollebak has released the Solar Charged Puffer, a jacket for extreme environments that builds on its original solar charged jacket, launched in 2017. Pure white during the day, the jacket glows in the dark when exposed to light, changing from bright green to soft white after about 12 hours. Built in layers […]
Breakthroughs in advanced textiles: robotic glove, energy harvesting, solar-powered structures, camouflaging wearable, decomposing t-shirt
July 1st, 2020
Robotic glove for hand paralysis San Francisco, Calif.-based technology start-up Neofect has developed a robotic glove to help patients suffering from paralysis. The product prototype, Neomano, is a smart glove designed for patient rehabilitation of the hand following a stroke, spinal cord injury or other condition that limits a patient’s ability to use his or […]
A jacket based on deep-sea evolution
February 1st, 2020
The Black Squid Jacket acts like a mirror for whatever light conditions exist. It’s dullish under subdued light, looks like liquid metal in the sun, and more colorful in the brightest light. Photos: Vollebak / Sun Lee. What can we learn from squids about developing advanced textiles? Quite a lot. The squid’s skin features a […]
Heat-conducting graphene jacket
December 1st, 2018
Part jacket. Part science experiment. That’s how the makers of a new graphene-coated jacket describe their garment. Only a single atom thick, graphene is invisible to the naked eye. It’s lightweight, highly conductive, and is the strongest material known to humankind. But graphene also comes with challenges. It’s hard to work with and very expensive […]
Solar jacket charges itself to glow
February 1st, 2018
Nick and Steve Tidball, twin brothers and founders of Vollebak, have created a jacket made from material that can be charged to glow in the dark by exposing it to almost any light source. The Solar Charged Jacket stores light to glow in the dark, and protects from driving rain and winds. The company, Vollebak, […]