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Smart textiles

Award for alginate stem cell development

1 September 2014
Christine Lammle has won this year's research prize from the German Society for Wound Healing (DGfW).
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Reverse-assembly nanofibres hold promise

1 September 2014
Self-assembled protein/polymer nanostructures that are reminiscent of the fibres found in living cells have been developed at Carnegie Mellon University and could prove a promising new way to fabricat
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Flexible fibre perovskite solar cells

1 September 2014
Perovskite - a calcium titanium oxide mineral species composed of calcium titanate - is the key to a new development in the field of fibre-based solar cells that can be woven into textiles.
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Plastic electronics for virtual things

1 September 2014
Thin Film Electronics, headquartered in Oslo, Norway, has announced a collaboration agreement with Evrythng - the 'Web of Things' software company which aims to make physical products smart, by connec
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Targeted pain relief with nanoparticles

1 September 2014
Researchers at MIT are working to enable pain medication and other drugs to be released directly to specific parts of the body, and in steady doses over a period of up to 14 months.
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Robotic hand extension

1 September 2014
Researchers at MIT have developed a device that enhances the grasping motion of the human hand.
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Tex Tech acquires UCF

1 September 2014
Tex Tech Industries, a global developer and manufacturer of engineered, high-performance materials based in Portland, Maine, USA, is acquiring Universal Carbon Fibres Ltd (UCF), based in West Yorkshir
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In flight mind reading by British Airways

1 September 2014
British Airways has begun testing a blanket which changes colour using brainwaves to ensure it offers customers the best quality in-flight sleep available.
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Metallization technique for the wearables market

1 September 2014
The wearable electronics market, in addition to automotive, solar and space product manufacturing, is currently being examined by eSurface Technologies, based in Carlsbad, California, as a potential n
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Lift off for special 3D printer

1 September 2014
Made In Space reports that its 3D printer which has been specially designed for use on the International Space Station (ISS), has passed final NASA certifications and testing ahead of schedule and wil
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New finance for SouthWest NanoTechnologies

1 September 2014
SouthWest NanoTechnologies Inc.
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Nanosilver safer than conventional coatings

1 September 2014
A team at Swiss research institute Empa has investigated how different silver coatings behave in the washing machine and made a significant discovery - textiles with nanocoatings release fewer nano-pa
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New commercial graphene partnership

1 September 2014
Morgan Advanced Materials, headquartered in Windsor, UK, has announced a new joint development agreement with The University of Manchester, aimed at scaling up a new process for manufacturing graphene
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Heated textiles for healthier growth

1 September 2014
Scientists at the Hohenstein Institute have been working with knitted fabrics specialst Roma Strickstoff, based in Balingen, Germany, and the State College of Horticulture and Agriculture in Stuttgart
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Success in 'growing' carbon nanotubes

1 September 2014
Scientists at Swiss research institute Empa and the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Germany have succeeded in creating self-assembling carbon nanotubes (CNTs).
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Ambiotex launch planned for October

1 August 2014
Representing the state-of-the-art in wearable fitness monitoring, the ambiotex t-shirt developed by match2blue GmbH of Mainz, Germany, was showcased at this year's Wearable Technologies Conference in
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Nanotech companies to merge

1 August 2014
OCSiAl has acquired carbon nanotube (CNT) functionalisation specialist Zyvex Technologies, based in Columbus, Ohio, making the combined venture the largest nanotechnology company in the world.
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Nanocellulose to compete with carbon?

1 August 2014
Japan is now taking nanocellulose extremely seriously, with around 100 companies actively involved in working together to develop it as a next generation material.
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3D-printed assembly support at BMW

1 August 2014
New ergonomic tools are being 3D printed by BMW.
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Smart sensor system in composites

1 August 2014
Nanoelectronics research centre Imec, Ghent University and their partners in the Smartfiber European FP7 project have demonstrated a miniaturised fibre optical sensor system that can be embedded in a
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Multiple screens on bendable phone

1 August 2014
Paperfold is an experimental bendable smartphone which has three different displays which can fold over one another and are responsive to where they are relative to each other.
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Ceiling of light

1 August 2014
Global lighting leader Philips recently launched a luminous panel that can cover an entire ceiling with homogenous white light.
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Don't miss the bus with electronic timetables

1 August 2014
Swiss public transport operator PostBus is currently testing new electronic timetable displays at bus stops.
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PointLEDs save space for e-textiles

1 August 2014
Forster Rohner Textile Innovations in Switzerland is now employing PointLEDs from Osram Opto Semiconductors to make its e-broidery textiles.
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3D printing for new engineered cores

1 August 2014
The blades of today's wind turbines still have a decidedly low-tech material at their core - balsa wood.
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Nano route to advanced MRI

1 August 2014
Submicroscopic particles that contain even smaller particles of iron oxide could make magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) a far more powerful tool to detect and fight disease.
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SPECIAL FEATURE: Screen tests and wrist action

1 August 2014
LEDs, OLEDs and plastic electronics are threatening to change the way we look at the world - and interact with everyday surfaces - writes editor Adrian Wilson.
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New low cost nanotubes make wide adoption possible

1 July 2014
Luxembourg-headquartered OCSiAl is claiming a significant breakthrough in producing its Tuball single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) in bigger, better quality and much cheaper batches than has been pr
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New process for 100% textile sensors

1 July 2014
Auckland, New Zealand-based Footfalls & Heartbeats - the company founded by award-winning chemist Simon McMaster - has developed a proprietary process for manufacturing smart fabrics.
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Self-cleaning roof for Brazil 2014

1 July 2014
A TiO2 self-cleaning coating protects the new tensile roofing system of the Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, which recently reopened after a three-year modernisation project to prepare for
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Top cleantech honour goes to Avantium

1 July 2014
Avantium, the Dutch developer of biofibres and bioplastics has been named the European Cleantech Company of the Decade by Cleantech Group (CTG).
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Major military work for Intelligent Textiles

1 July 2014
UK company Intelligent Textiles (ITL), based in based in Laleham, Surrey, has just signed a major contract worth several million pounds with the US Department of Defence, as part of a joint project wi
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Wearable technology for behaviour control already widespread

1 July 2014
Northamptonshire Police has become the first force in the UK to pilot the use of alcohol-detecting ankle tags.
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Carbon monoxide sensing clothing

1 July 2014
A range of clothing with the potential to warn the wearer of a number of environmental issues has been designed by a self-styled 'textile alchemist'.
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Supersonic stretching for new nanofibres

1 July 2014
'CO2 laser supersonic stretching' is a new process developed by JX Nippon, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, for manufacturing polypropylene nanofibres with diameters of between 300-500 nm - a range that
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Aspen plans expansion after IPO

1 July 2014
Aspen Aerogels - the manufacturer of Cryogel, Pyrogel and Spaceloft high performance aerogel insulation blankets based in Northborough, Massachusetts - has commenced an initial public offering of 6,66
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Flexible health patch based on miniature electronics

1 July 2014
The Holst Centre and Imec in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, have developed a prototype flexible health patch weighing just 10g - half the weight of currently available products.
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IBM sees no limit to possibilities for new polymers

1 July 2014
High performance computing is being combined with synthetic polymer chemistry by scientists at IBM Research, to develop entirely new polymeric materials.
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3D printed car for Shell Eco-Marathon

1 July 2014
A design team at the University of Applied Sciences (Hogeschool Zuyd) in The Netherlands employed a bank of off-the-shelf 3D printers to make composites for the shell of the car it entered in this yea
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Organic photovoltaics are 100% inkjet printed

1 July 2014
Scientists from Solliance, the cross-border thin-film solar cell research alliance, have produced the world's first organic photovoltaics (OPVs) to be made exclusively with inkjet printing processes.
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Wearable tech for horses

1 July 2014
Horse training methods have remained virtually unchanged for 150 years. Now, a completely new approach is gaining acceptance.
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New route to TiO2 nanoparticles

1 July 2014
Sandia National Laboratories, based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has developed an inexpensive way to synthesize titanium-dioxide nanoparticles and is seeking partners who can demonstrate the process at
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Lignin for next-generation materials

1 July 2014
A research project led by Biome Bioplastics, based in Southampton, UK, has demonstrated the feasibility of extracting organic chemicals from lignin for the manufacture of bioplastics.
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Heart monitor for car drivers

1 July 2014
The Advanced Textiles Research Group at Nottingham Trent University and Plessey Semiconductors, based in Plymouth, have recently been awarded UK Technology Strategy Board funding to develop an automot
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New sensors with stretch

1 July 2014
Danish smart fabrics specialist Ohmatex is partnering with Danfoss PolyPower, a designer and manufacturer of PolyPower DEAP smart film and elements, to supply PolyPower stretch sensors for wearable ap
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Electrospinning superabsorbents

1 July 2014
A new process for producing superabsorbent, crosslinked nanofibres by electrospinning water-soluble polymers and subjecting them to UV radiation is outlined in patent WO/2014/053345, which has recentl
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Nanotubes the key to high-performance li-ion batteries

1 July 2014
A wire-shaped lithium ion battery that contains electrodes consisting of two composite yarns made of carbon nanotubes and lithium titanium oxide or lithium manganese oxide, has been developed by resea
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Nanoparticles improve catheters

1 July 2014
Foster Corporation, based in Putnam, Conneciticut, USA, is introducing LoPro Plus radiopaque compounds reinforced with nanoparticles for improved pushability of thin wall catheters.
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Recreating the womb

1 July 2014
A smart textile 'artificial uterus' is being developed by scientists at the Hohenstein Institute in Bonnigheim, Germany, in a bid to recreate the environment and sensory stimulation of a mother's womb
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New materials from milk waste

1 July 2014
The world's first ever industrial level continuous production of lactic acid from deproteinized lactose whey has been achieved by Cellulac, an industrial biochemicals company cased in Cambridge, UK.
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