Smart textiles

A cotton fabric coated with nanofibres made from nanodiamonds and polyurethane (PU) that can cool its wearer by 2–3°C is being developed by researchers at RMIT University in Melbourne, Victoria, Au

The length at which yarn-shaped supercapacitors (YSCs) yield their highest energy outputs has been determined by researchers at North Carolina State University (NCSU) in Raleigh, USA.

A highly flexible and electrically conductive fibre has been made using recycled cotton by researchers in the USA, who report that it could one day be employed in the manufacture of smart textiles.

A liquid-crystal polymer (LCP) fibre that changes shape in response to thermal stimuli is being developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, USA. 

A research programme that will see smart textiles developed for military applications has been launched by the US Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), the research and developm

Polymer fibres that dynamically stiffen when exposed to strain are being incorporated into sportswear by adidas of Herzogenaurach, Germany.

Technologies that enable the infusion of therapeutics and medications into fabrics, called Nufabrx and developed by Textile-Based Delivery Inc (TexDel), and the associated retail business have been

A highly stretchable textile-based lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery that could be used to power wearable technologies is being developed by researchers at the University of Houston in Texas, USA. 

A waterproof jacket that features vents that open and close autonomously in response to the presence or otherwise of sweat, thereby helping to keep its wearer cool, has been developed by Nike of Eu

The use of soft materials and textiles, onto which electronics are printed, for the production of protective sleeves for the arms of robots is to be investigated by researchers at the Danish Techno

A yarn-based sensor that can take real-​time measurements of how exhausted a person gets during physical exertion is being developed by researchers at ETH Zurich in Switzerland. 

Soft and elastic filaments made from liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs) are being used by researchers in Finland and the UK to weave textiles that can change shape repeatedly in response to chang

A textile-based supercapacitor that can charge in minutes, and can power a microcontroller and wirelessly transmit temperature data for nearly two hours without a recharge, is being developed by re

Carbon nanotube (CNT) yarns that convert mechanical movement into electricity do so more effectively than other material-based energy-harvesters, according to their developers at the University of

A microelectronic fibre that is capable of analysing electrolytes and metabolites in sweat and could be woven into clothes for healthcare applications is being developed by researchers at Tohoku Un

A knitted hat for infants that changes colour in response to increases in body temperature is being developed by a researcher at Louisiana State University (LSU) in Batton Rouge, USA. 

A cost-effective and scalable screen-printing process that enables electrodes to be deposited on flexible substrates, such as textiles, is being developed by researchers at Washington State Univers

A method for precisely depositing a durable coating that can detect and neutralise toxic compounds onto fabrics is being developed by researchers at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, USA

A sensor that can detect minor changes in strain, has a greater range of motion than previous technologies and could be incorporated into fabrics is being developed by researchers at North Carolina

Thin, lightweight, durable and flexible solar cells that can applied to textiles are being developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, USA. 

A cheap and simple method for incorporating triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) into textiles is being developed by researchers at North Carolina State University (NCSU) in Raleigh, USA. 

A fabric that can respond to changes in temperature to warm-up or cool-down its wearer is being developed by researchers at Shinshu University in Nagano, Japan. 

A sensor that measures physical contact between a face mask and its wearer’s face, and can be applied to any kind of mask, is being developed by researchers in the USA, who say that it could be use

A washable textile containing 1200 photovoltaic cells is being developed by researchers at Nottingham Trent University in the UK.

A computer-controlled jacket that could one day make its wearer invisible to infrared (IR) cameras is being developed by researchers in the UK, who have created a prototype to test the concept. 

A robust and washable electrically conductive cotton thread is being used by researchers at Imperial College London in the UK to embroider low-cost sensors on T-shirts and face masks.

Textile-based pneumatic logic gates that could be used to help people with functional limitations perform tasks without electronic assistance, eliminating the need for wearers to carry bulky power

A wearable sensor that can communicate with other electronic devices wirelessly without onboard chips or batteries is being developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MI

A vest loaded with acoustic sensors that can be used to monitor the condition of people suffering from severe respiratory or lung conditions is being developed by researchers at the Fraunhofer Inst

A wearable, textile-based exomuscle that can be used to increase the upper-body strength and endurance of people with restricted mobility is being developed by researchers at ETH Zurich in Switzerl

Heated sleeves and inserts for gloves are to be developed for civilian and military use by Loomia Technologies Inc and Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA). 

A stretchable, waterproof and breathable fabric that can harvest electrical energy from human body movements is being developed by researchers at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Si

A method for incorporating solar cells into textiles so that they can withstand laundering is being developed by researchers at Aalto University in Espoo, Finland. 

A range of skin-like, smart fabric-based coverings for robots and prosthetics has been launched by BeBop Sensors of Berkeley, California, USA.

A quick, efficient digital tool for the design and production of sensor-enhanced soft pneumatic actuators using machine knitting is being developed by researchers in the USA. 

A network of sensors that can be used to monitor the processes involved in the manufacture of fabrics – generating data that can be used to ensure the quality of finished products – is being develo

Methods commonly used in the textiles industry, such as yarn-coating, dip-coating and screen-printing, are being used by researchers in the UK and Sri Lanka to produce energy-harvesting textiles. 

A textile-based sleeve that will generate electrical stimulation to reduce swelling and discomfort for patients with lymphoedema is being developed by researchers at Nottingham Trent University in

A technique that enables yarn-based supercapacitors to withstand repeated mechanical deformations – such as those created during weaving and knitting processes – without short-circuiting is being d

A fabric that works like a microphone, converting sound first into mechanical vibrations, then into electrical signals, is being developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technolog

A woven textile-based display that also features fibre-based devices capable of wireless power transmission, touch-sensing, photodetection, environmental/biosignal monitoring and energy storage is

Mesh-based heating elements made from fibres in which single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been embedded, thereby rendering the fibres electrically conductive, are to be launched by Amperetex

A method for incorporating sensors into carbon-fibre reinforcement fabrics so that they can collect data about the processes used to make composite parts from them has been developed by researchers

A long, fibre-based lithium-ion battery that could be woven into fabrics is being developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, USA. 

A prototype patch featuring flaps that open automatically in response to the presence of moisture and close again when dry has been developed by researchers at Duke University in Durham, North Caro

Thermal actuators that can be used to generate rapid movement in soft robotic devices are being developed by researchers at North Carolina State University (NCSU) in Raleigh, USA.

A wearable sensor that can monitor the condition of chronic wounds and wirelessly transmit the data it collects to an electronic device is being developed by researchers at the National University

A battery-free system that enables near-field communication (NFC) to take place between articles of clothing and nearby electronic devices is being developed by researchers at the University of Cal