A fabric developed by a team of scientists in China could replace many of the features of modern smartphones.
The new material could have applications in communications, navigation, healthcare, and safety.
It could be made into a garment and could be integrated with clothing.
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The fabric created by Peng and his collaborators isnt the only attempt to mix electronics and cloth.
Theres also anew running shoe by Under Armourcalled the HOVR Machina that gives you real-time feedback on your performance.
However, one problem with applying circuits and screens to clothing is that it tends to be uncomfortable.
MIT CSAIL researchersannouncedtheyd developed intelligent clothes that can track subtle movements, even though they feel like everyday garments.
Make Your Old Jacket Smart
Your old clothes might even work as intelligent fabric.
Microsoft researchersclaim to have developeda method of turning traditional materials into interactive ones.
Innovative fabrics also could keep you cool in hot weather or while exercising.
The team demonstrated how it could electrically tune the ability of graphene layers integrated onto textiles to radiate energy.
“Thermal blankets are a common example used for this purpose.
However, maintaining these functionalities as the surroundings heats up or cools down has been an outstanding challenge.”
