Futuristic 'Green' Fabric That Works Like a Smartphone Unveiled by Scientists

A new substance developed by a team of Chinese scientists that works like a smartphone could have applications in communication, navigation, healthcare, and security.

SWNS

The high-tech garment could improve safety for cyclists, drivers and emergency services. For example, the brush on a sleeve could instantly display a “fabric card” on its arm.

The inexpensive material turns a jacket into a touchscreen - and according to the SWNS news agency, it could be in stores by Christmas.

Powered by solar energy, it combines conductive and luminescent fibers with cotton.

Wearable technology has been promised for years, but creating large displays that are built into functional systems has proven difficult.

Researchers at Fudan University in Shanghai spectacularly tackled this problem with a display fabric nearly 20 feet long and 10 inches wide.

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SWNS through Fudan University

The author who described the new electronic textile in Nature magazine last month, Professor Huisheng Peng, said: "The cloth is flexible, breathable and durable - ideal for the real world."

"Conventional solid-state materials are not easily compatible with textiles because they are difficult to withstand the natural deformation that occurs when fabrics are worn and washed," said Peng.

"It's built into a fabric touch-sensitive keyboard and a power supply that uses solar energy," he added.

In experiments, the electronic textile worked as a navigation tool that showed an interactive map. It also performed communications by sending or retrieving messages over a Bluetooth connection with a smartphone.

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Prof. Peng said the display is created by lighting units that form where the conductive and luminescent fibers meet at points of contact in the tissue.

SWNS through Fudan University

They survived 1,000 cycles of bending, stretching, and pressing. The brightness was retained after 100 washing and drying cycles.

With the addition of more applications, it is expected that the next generation of electronic communication tools will be shaped.

They first made two types of fiber electrodes - one coated with active material and the other transparent and elastic. Then they woven them together as yarns to make the display textile, which is highly flexible and has been demonstrated in three typical uses.

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“They are not just ideas. In fact, we can produce such display textiles on a large scale at low cost, ”said Peng. “We are already making them available to companies. I think they will be used this year - at least next year at the latest. "

The potential is enormous - for both the public and the private sector. Police officers or road workers can wear them at night to be safer.

The team even envisions that this can convert brain waves into signals on clothing, which would be useful for people who cannot speak.

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