Smart Fabric

There are now several experimental "smart fabrics," capable of detecting the wearer's respiration or heartbeat via deformations in the material. A new one is claimed to work better, by utilizing transmission lines instead of individual sensors.

Although we've recently seen numerous "electronic skin" sensor patches that monitor the wearer's vital signs, the things do have their drawbacks. Scientists at MIT have therefore developed an alternative, in the form of a vitals-monitoring shirt.

The more clothing that you wear, the warmer you are … right? Well actually, scientists have developed a new textile that both warms wearers in cold environments, and cools them down when things heat up.

​Squids, octopi and cuttlefish are able to change the color of their skin thanks to specialized cells known as chromatophores. Scientists have now replicated the manner in which those cells work, resulting in a flexible material that can either trap or release heat as needed.

​People with insomnia sometimes undergo sleep studies, in which they slumber in a clinic while wired to various sensors – perhaps not the best way to replicate their typical sleeping environment. Soon, however, they may simply be able to wear electronic pyjamas, which are currently in development.

Researchers at the University of Maryland (UMD) have developed a new material that senses how warm a person’s body is and automatically adjusts how much heat it traps or releases.

Imagine if there were comfortable and inexpensive wearable fabrics that were capable of detecting a wide range of pressure and motion. Well, scientists at the University of Delaware have created just such a technology, and it could have some interesting applications.

​Weaving electronic smarts into clothing has the potential to heat headgear, monitor health and keep you connected. But smart fabrics are not just useful for wearables. To demonstrate this, Madison Maxey has created a tablecloth-sized textile trackpad to replace a computer mouse or, well, trackpad.​

Where most "smart clothes" generally function like wearable fitness trackers, researchers in Canada have focused instead on creating a smart T-shirt with the potential to help diagnose respiratory illnesses or monitor such conditions in real-time.

If they don't mind looking a bit like a Mortal Kombat character, a new electric balaclava featuring a built-in heating area around the nose and mouth would let athletes keep training like a champ in the cold while lowering the risk of contracting chest infections.

If researchers at RMIT have their way, the amount of time we spend measuring capfuls of liquid, scraping out the lint filter and refolding our duds may soon be slashed thanks to a new coating that cleans fabrics whenever they're exposed to light.

This year's Google I/O gave us Android M and updated Google Cardboard, along with free and unlimited photo storage. But it wouldn't be Google if there weren't also some moonshots in there. We go hands-on with one of them, Project Jacquard.