It all started with the animated movie “The Wrong Trousers.” The 1993 British stop-motion film featured a pair of futuristic pants called “Techno-Trousers” that would allow people to walk on walls and ceilings. The film is now inspiring many people to create robotic clothing.
A group of English researchers was one of such. They realized that robotic clothes could help the world and made “The Right Trousers,” pants equipped with electrical pumps to help people with getting up and improving blood circulation. They do so by using materials to work with the human body and bend, twist, or contract with it.
Many others followed suit. Last year, scientists at MIT made fiber batteries that could embed into clothes to power robotic textiles. In June, Australian researchers created robotic textile fibers that can automatically move fabric using artificial muscle fibers.
Companies have even started to create smart clothing that connects to phones. Wearablex made yoga pants that vibrate to improve a user’s posture. In collaboration with Levi’s, Yves Saint Laurent, and Adidas, Google released its Jacquard project that places sensors in jackets, backpacks, and shoes to access phones and allow the user to take calls, take photos, play songs, and more without holding their phone.
Yoel Fink, a materials science professor at MIT, has high hopes for the industry, “We’re sort of at the pre-iPhone announcement [stage]. It’s very, very exciting.” He and his colleagues collaborated on the creation of hundreds of silicon microchips to transmit digital signals necessary for tracking.
Despite the progress so far, there still are many challenges left to overcome. Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio, a mechanical engineering professor at Yale, mentioned some of the challenges, “Many challenges remain before smart textiles reach their full potential. It will be challenging to make these clothes, filled with fibers and technology, durable enough to withstand multiple cycles in the laundry.”
She also noted how “the added bulk of specialized fibers could make wearable smart textiles uncomfortable or difficult to put on or remove,” and how “researchers will have to find the most optimal way to place robotic fibers in fabrics and ensure power sources are lightweight.”
Article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/07/29/robot-clothes/
A group of English researchers was one of such. They realized that robotic clothes could help the world and made “The Right Trousers,” pants equipped with electrical pumps to help people with getting up and improving blood circulation. They do so by using materials to work with the human body and bend, twist, or contract with it.
Many others followed suit. Last year, scientists at MIT made fiber batteries that could embed into clothes to power robotic textiles. In June, Australian researchers created robotic textile fibers that can automatically move fabric using artificial muscle fibers.
Companies have even started to create smart clothing that connects to phones. Wearablex made yoga pants that vibrate to improve a user’s posture. In collaboration with Levi’s, Yves Saint Laurent, and Adidas, Google released its Jacquard project that places sensors in jackets, backpacks, and shoes to access phones and allow the user to take calls, take photos, play songs, and more without holding their phone.
Yoel Fink, a materials science professor at MIT, has high hopes for the industry, “We’re sort of at the pre-iPhone announcement [stage]. It’s very, very exciting.” He and his colleagues collaborated on the creation of hundreds of silicon microchips to transmit digital signals necessary for tracking.
Despite the progress so far, there still are many challenges left to overcome. Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio, a mechanical engineering professor at Yale, mentioned some of the challenges, “Many challenges remain before smart textiles reach their full potential. It will be challenging to make these clothes, filled with fibers and technology, durable enough to withstand multiple cycles in the laundry.”
She also noted how “the added bulk of specialized fibers could make wearable smart textiles uncomfortable or difficult to put on or remove,” and how “researchers will have to find the most optimal way to place robotic fibers in fabrics and ensure power sources are lightweight.”
Article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/07/29/robot-clothes/