In an episode in the clay-animated movie Wallace and Gromit named “The Wrong Trousers,” a pair of pants allows people to walk on walls and ceilings, defying the laws of gravity. Researchers in England said that the film created an idea: robot clothes.
The scientists created something called “The Right Trousers,” a set of pants with electrical pumps to squeeze air into tiny, expandable tubes. These pants can help elderly or disabled people get up from a seated position and improve blood circulation.
In university labs all across the world, many different material scientists, computer programmers, and fabric designers are working to make advancements in the topic of robotic clothing at a tremendous speed. This discovery will make us closer to a reality where the clothes we wear daily will help keep us healthy or improve our daily lives.
“We’re sort of at the pre-iPhone announcement [stage],” Yoel Fink, a materials science professor at MIT, said. “It’s very, very exciting.”
In June of 2022, researchers in Australia created robotic textile fibers, which can create a fabric that moves automatically. The year before, MIT scientists created computer programmable threads and built fiber batteries that use battery gels, and they can be embedded into clothes and power robotic textiles. As a sign that automated clothing technology is becoming increasingly advanced, the intelligence community announced in July of 2022 that it is looking to develop smart clothes for soldiers and spies.
The work of researchers is at a huge turning point and could potentially soon discover a time when clothing will act more like a computer, sensing how your body feels and telling your clothes how to help. Scientists said customers could expect an extensive range of futuristic offerings in the coming decade. Those offerings include pants that can help lift elderly or disabled people, athletic socks that promote blood flow through automatic compressions, and maternity clothes that could track fetus heart rates to improve pregnancy outcomes.
Work Cited:
Verma, Pranshu. “Shapeshifting, robotic clothes could help people stand up.” The Washington Post, 29 July 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/07/29/robot-clothes/. Accessed 9
The scientists created something called “The Right Trousers,” a set of pants with electrical pumps to squeeze air into tiny, expandable tubes. These pants can help elderly or disabled people get up from a seated position and improve blood circulation.
In university labs all across the world, many different material scientists, computer programmers, and fabric designers are working to make advancements in the topic of robotic clothing at a tremendous speed. This discovery will make us closer to a reality where the clothes we wear daily will help keep us healthy or improve our daily lives.
“We’re sort of at the pre-iPhone announcement [stage],” Yoel Fink, a materials science professor at MIT, said. “It’s very, very exciting.”
In June of 2022, researchers in Australia created robotic textile fibers, which can create a fabric that moves automatically. The year before, MIT scientists created computer programmable threads and built fiber batteries that use battery gels, and they can be embedded into clothes and power robotic textiles. As a sign that automated clothing technology is becoming increasingly advanced, the intelligence community announced in July of 2022 that it is looking to develop smart clothes for soldiers and spies.
The work of researchers is at a huge turning point and could potentially soon discover a time when clothing will act more like a computer, sensing how your body feels and telling your clothes how to help. Scientists said customers could expect an extensive range of futuristic offerings in the coming decade. Those offerings include pants that can help lift elderly or disabled people, athletic socks that promote blood flow through automatic compressions, and maternity clothes that could track fetus heart rates to improve pregnancy outcomes.
Work Cited:
Verma, Pranshu. “Shapeshifting, robotic clothes could help people stand up.” The Washington Post, 29 July 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/07/29/robot-clothes/. Accessed 9
