The future of clothing, as we know it, has radically changed as scientists have created “electronic textiles” that double as a display and can even be integrated with a keyboard that essentially turns the fabric into a computer.
Scientists invent “electronic textiles”
The future of clothing is here and it’s about to change fashion, as we have known it, forever. Scientists have created what they call “smart textiles” or “electronic textiles” and that combines the technology of displays with fabrics, the Independent UK reports.
The research was published in the journal Nature, and a paper which described the research as “Large-area display textiles integrated with functional systems.”
The newly invented textiles have characteristics like that of most other fabrics: They are flexible, breathable and durable. They can be worn and washed without worrying about wearing out or being destroyed. They can be used for a variety of purposes.
Making fabrics “smart”
Where these new “smart” fabrics differ from the fabrics of the past is that they are electronic and function like a display. The fabric itself is made up of individual pieces of conductive and glowing fibers that meet at contact points with the fabric.
The fabric can essentially be transformed into a computer by being integrated with a touch-sensitive keyboard and power supply. The fabric can even be interfaced to communicate directly with the brain.
What can smart fabrics do?
The scientists demonstrated the different capabilities and utility of the so-called “smart” fabrics, which extends to various forms of connectivity including Bluetooth and brain interfacing.
For example, one of the primary ways researchers used for demonstrating the technology was in the field of healthcare. For example, people have difficulty with communication can, through the use of signals connected to their brains, can display the person’s feelings or needs on the front of their clothing.
Beyond healthcare purposes alone, the fabric can also receive voice messages through a smart phone connected over Bluetooth. Another way the display of the fabrics can used by everyone is its ability to become an interactive map.
Without a doubt, both aesthetic and commercial uses of the fabric are a given. Already, numerous companies integrate some form of technology into their clothing. It’s not hard to imagine clothing serving as an interactive form of a walking billboard as companies further exploit their logos and brand name recognition.
Durability put to the test
To prove that the fabric could withstand daily wear and tear as well as literally being “put through the wringer” to see how the material holds up to washing, the researchers put the textiles through 1000 cycles of bending, stretching and pressing. Scientists also put the textile through 100 cycles of washing and drying.
At the end of it all, the researcher said most of the units remained stable as displays, with the fabric continuing to glow as before.
