MIT News October 26, 2023 A team of researcher in the US (MIT, Northeastern University) has developed programmable, actuating fiber they call FibeRobo which contracts in response to an increase in temperature, then self-reverses when the temperature decreases, without any embedded sensors or other hard components. Unlike other actuating threads explored in HCI FibeRobo exhibits rapid thermal self-reversing actuation with large displacements (∼40%) without twisting. A reproducible UV fiber drawing setup produces hundreds of meters of fiber with a sub-millimeter diameter, and FibeRobo is fully compatible with existing textile manufacturing machinery such as weaving looms, embroidery, and industrial knitting machines. […]
Tag Archives: Textiles
New textile unravels warmth-trapping secrets of polar bear fur
Science Daily April 10, 2023 There are evidence that polar-dwelling animals have evolved a different mechanism of thermoregulation by using optical polymer materials to achieve an on-body “greenhouse” effect. Researchers at UMass Amherst designed a bilayer textile to mimic these adaptations. They showed that two ultralightweight fabrics with complementary optical functions, a polypropylene visible-transparent insulator and a nylon visible-absorber–infrared-reflector coated with a conjugated polymer, performed the same putative function as polar bear hair and skin, respectively. While retaining familiar textile qualities, these layers suppressed dissipation of body heat and maximized radiative absorption of visible light. Under moderate illumination of 130 […]