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Smart textiles

Available nanotech could save billions

1 February 2011
World investment in renewable energy will top $2 trillion on a cumulative basis from 2010 through 2015, driven by growth in Asia, North America and Europe, according to a new report.
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Jack Wolfskin puts a block on Nano-Tex treatments

1 February 2011
Leading German outdoor sports brand Jack Wolfskin has opted to stop using Nano-Tex textile enhancements.
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Viscose variants from Kelheim

1 February 2011
Kelheim Fibres has introduced a wide range of new viscose fibre developments over the past year, including the superabsorbent variants Dante, Bellini, Verdi and Bramante, as well as Poseidon, a viscos
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General Motors backs shape memory polymers project

1 February 2011
The Syracuse Biomaterials Institute (SBI) and Syracuse University's LC Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science have been awarded a three-year grant of $319,980 from the National Science Foun
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New Teijin polyester with pH control

1 February 2011
Teijin is introducing the world's first commercial polyester material to offer pH (acidity) control.
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Antarctic trip with vital signs monitoring

1 February 2011
Devices enabled by Sensium 'digital plaster' technology, developed by Toumaz, based in Abingdon, UK, were used to monitor the health status of a team of explorers and scientists involved in a record-b
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JEC award for Coatema

1 January 2011
Germany's Coatema has just received a JEC Composites Innovation Award for its patented 'Click&Coat' machinery concept which allows the laminating and calendering coating processes to be carried ou
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Deflexion rules the waves with Henri Lloyd

1 January 2011
Dow Corning's Deflexion, a patent-pending protective textile, is being used by market leading marine apparel brand Henri Lloyd in a new range for 2011.
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Glasgow pioneers free Intellectual Property for industry

1 January 2011
In an initiative that has major implications for the UK's innovation-led design and technology industries, the University of Glasgow is to offer Intellectual Property to businesses and entrepreneurs f
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3D knitted fibrin for diabetes treatment

1 January 2011
The Italian Panagenesi project is a joint initiative involving knitting machinery builder Comez, Torcitura di Menaggio, a silk yarn twisting company and Gaetano Rossini Holding, a specialist in the pr
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Konarka's Power Plastic achieves world record 8.3% efficiency

1 January 2011
The National Energy Renewable Laboratory (NREL) has certified that Konarka's organic based photovoltaic (OPV) solar cells based on its Power Plastic have demonstrated a record breaking 8.3% efficiency
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2011: the year for Lumalive take-off?

1 January 2011
Philips Lumalive, the pioneer in textile-based LED and photonic technology, is preparing for a full market launch of new solutions for the architecture and interior design sectors in early 2011.
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Interactive materials investment in Germany

1 January 2011
Germany's Science Council has recently approved the University of Freiburg's proposal for the Freiburg Centre for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies (FIT).
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Touchscreen conductive tips

1 January 2011
While normal gloves keep the hands warm and dry, they act as a barrier to touch on the surfaces of devices such as iPads and touch-screen mobiles.
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Geotube recognition

1 January 2011
TenCate Geosynthetics North America has been awarded the 2010 International Achievement Award (IAA) presented by the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) for design excellence in specia
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Patented odour control for whites

1 January 2011
Agion Technologies has received US Patent 7,754,625 which specifically protects its odour control solution as a breakthrough in treating white and light-coloured materials, ensuring long-term colour s
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Cutting edge protection

1 January 2011
New production technology developed by DSM Dyneema enables the manufacture of yarn that delivers significantly increased cut resistance performance.
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Inkjet addition for Xennia

1 January 2011
Xennia Technology has completed the acquisition of Cametrics - known for its ixPressia digital printing software products.
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Oilguard gains HeiQ Swiss innovation award

1 January 2011
Beyond Surface Technologies and HeiQ Materials have received the Swiss Technology Award for the development with German nonwovens producer of Oilguard - the product designed to protect coastal areas a
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Innovation on cue and hitting the right notes

1 January 2011
Smart textiles have a number of definitions, but by anyone's standards, securing GBP1 million in specialised contracts to be shipped from the UK to China fits the bill.
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Biodegradable hydrogel alliance for medical

1 January 2011
DSM is launching a joint venture with DuPont to manufacture advanced surgical biomedical materials.
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E-textiles at less than a dollar a metre

1 January 2011
Highly conductive microfilaments developed by Ey Technologies are poised to usher in the next generation electronic textiles and wearables.
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India expansion and FDA application for SmartSilver

1 January 2011
NanoHorizons has extended the worldwide distribution of its SmartSilver antimicrobial products to India in partnership with Indorama Polyester (IPI) which will provide sales support in the country.
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CNT inks for new printing

1 January 2011
SouthWest NanoTechnologies (SWeNT) is introducing new carbon nanotube (CNT) inks and materials aimed at energy storage and printed electronics applications.
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Five times around the world in a seatbelt

1 January 2011
Enough woven belting to circle the globe five times - over half a billion metres - will soon be manufactured by Autoliv annually.
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Support for exertion from Fila

1 January 2011
New body toning workout apparel featuring Lycra Sport fabric is being intriduced by sportswear giant Fila.
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Energy Star installation in India

1 January 2011
An advanced textile membrane roofing retrofit by Birdair has been carried out at the 60,000-seat Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi, India.
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Carbon fibre fabric for fuel cells

1 January 2011
Toho Tenax has developed a gas diffusion layer (GDL) made of a carbon fibre fabric for use as an electrode component for fuel cells.
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Introducing the Octopus

1 January 2011
Teijin has developed a polyester fibre with a unique, highly modified cross-section with eight projections aligned in a radial pattern around a hollow core.
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Water wicking geotextile secures award

1 January 2011
The Industrial Fabrics Foundation (IFF) has awarded this year's IFF Innovation Award to TenCate, for its new Mirafi H2Ri water-wicking geotextile.
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Accelerating commercialisation of car composites

1 January 2011
Tokyo-headquartered Teijin is to build a pilot plant for the ultra-rapid and fully integrated mass production of new carbon fibre thermoplastic composites.
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CMC braided exhaust manifold

1 January 2011
Braiding technology allows complex geometries such as exhaust manifolds to be effortlessly shaped into composite parts which have superior mechanical properties compared to other textile structures.
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World's first fully renewable, biobased PET

1 January 2011
Japan's Toray Industries reports success in producing laboratory-scale samples of the world's first fully renewable biobased PET fibre.
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Kelheim presents Leonardo

1 January 2011
A new viscose speciality fibre is being introduced by Kelheim Fibres.
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FIR for wellbeing

1 January 2011
Emana is a new polyamide 6.6-based yarn which incorporates a patented additive offering thermo-regulation properties and improving blood micro-circulation when in contact with the skin for more than s
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Symposium reflects new markets for coating

1 December 2010
Coatema recently held its 11th symposium at its R&D centre in Dormagen, Germany, featuring talks on many areas of coating and printing technology, and hands-on demonstrations from the company's R&
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SmartFiber project for continuous health monitoring of composites

1 December 2010
SmartFiber is a new European FP7 funded project aiming to develop a smart, miniaturised system for the continuous health monitoring of composites by bringing together optical fiber sensors, nanophoton
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Health monitoring by mobile

1 December 2010
Belgium's Imec and the Dutch Holst Centre have developed a mobile heart monitoring system which allows an Android mobile phone to become an electrocardiogram (ECG).
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Remote health monitoring of the Chilean Miners

1 December 2010
Electronic textiles came into their own in the months prior to the dramatic rescue of the 33 trapped Chilean miners which made headlines around the world.
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Colour-changing fabric scoops award

1 December 2010
The first Industrial Fabrics Foundation (IFF Innovation Award) was presented to Chameleon International during the IFAI Expo Americas 2010 held from 27- 29 October in Orlando, Florida.
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Rilsan 11 products launched

1 December 2010
Socks and sports bags using Arkema's biosourced polyamide grade Rilsan 11 - normally an engineering plastic grade - have recently been launched.
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Prescriptions for LifeVest top 30,000

1 December 2010
Zoll Medical Corporation has announced that more than 30,000 patients at high risk of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) have been prescribed the LifeVest Wearable Defibrillator and its revenues for the prod
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Bluetooth Innovation World Cup 2010 finalists selected

1 December 2010
An impact sensor for the detailed measurement of shocks in sports accidents for incorporation in helmets or protective clothing is among the finalists of the second Bluetooth Innovation World Cup (IWC
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Electriplast gaining traction with car makers

1 December 2010
Integral Technologies, based in Bellingham, Washington, USA, reports that through a Tier One supplier of lithium ion batteries, one of Europe's leading car makers has ordered sample parts to be moulde
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Large-area smart textiles project will build on STELLA success

1 December 2010
The new European FP7 project PASTA - Integrating Platform for Advanced Smart Textile Applications - is aiming to develop large-area smart textiles.
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Wearable monitoring apps developer kit launched

1 December 2010
Spanish company Emxys, based at the Incubation Centre of the European Space Agency (ESA) at Noordwijk in the Netherlands, has launched a developer kit for its TrainGrid system.
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New large-scale fabric application for CNTs

1 December 2010
In what is almost certainly the largest industrial application for carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to date, extremely stable and robust varieties have been employed in a forming fabric for a paper production
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Solar powered word processing

1 December 2010
Following on from the range of power-providing solar garments, backpacks and other devices that are now available, Logitech has introduced the first light-powered wireless keyboard, the K750, which wi
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Suited for Space

1 December 2010
DuPont is the national sponsor of 'Suited for Space' a new exhibition from the Smithsonian Institution Travelling Exhibition Service (SITES) and the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.
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Invisibility explored at FUTEX2011

1 December 2010
The 4th European Convention for Technical Textiles - FUTEX 2011 - will be held in Marcq-en-Baroeul in Northern France from 19-20 January 2011.It will focus on the many technical products which are com
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