Innovation

New innovative cloth developed by a research group at the University of Waterloo requires no bulky batteries or manual controls, the warmth generated by the fabric comes entirely from solar energy, making it an environmentally friendly, self-sustaining solution for winter wear.

And now a multifunctional sensor based on semiconductor fibres that emulates the five human senses and is expected to be utilised in a variety of state-of-the-art technology fields such as wearables, Internet of Things (IoT), electronic devices, and soft robotics.

A research group, led by Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, has come up with an ordinary silk thread, coated with a conductive plastic material, that shows promising properties for turning textiles into electricity generators.

Scientists in the US have drawn inspiration from the dynamic colour-changing properties of squid skin and developed a new fabric that allows for user-adjusted warmth, breathability, and washability.

Innovations from five startups in the fields of sustainable chemistry and textiles has set them on course to bag the €25,000 fifth ISC3 Innovation Challenge.

Biomimicry to the fore again as Chinese scientists, inspired by the water-collecting abilities of desert beetles and spider silk, develop a yarn capable of harvesting water from fog, providing an innovative solution to water scarcity in arid regions. 

The UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT) has come out with a report that aims to encourage innovators, brands, retailers and manufacturers to work together so that the industry can collectively achieve environmental impact reduction goals.

Scientists at the German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF) have developed a robust yet flexible glove coating using an environmental friendly biopolymer— lignin— in a 3D printing process.

Inspired by the adaptive thermal regulation mechanism in pigeons, a team of researchers in Hong Kong has developed the first-of-its-kind intelligent soft robotic clothing for automatic temperature adaptation and thermal insulation in hot environments, offering superior personal protection and thermal comfort across a range of temperatures.

Fashion for Good has launched a collaborative ambitious initiative aimed at accelerating the next generation of footwear innovations needed to drive circularity spanning four workstreams across the supply chain from materials to end of use.