Technology time, even fabric can be woven from fiber, led

With these fabrics, clothing is no longer a warm and beauty thing, but also really useful for the life of modern people.

Fiber-woven fabrics

In the age of versatile electronics devices, Yoel Fink's research team at Massachusetts MIT Institute of Technology (USA) is led by Michael Rein, which has produced a type of fiber combined with components. Photovoltaic parts like diodes, can be woven into fabric and even washed without damaging its electronic components.

This fiber-optic fabric is very useful in communications and biomedical industry.Specifically, the measurement of the level of oxidation in the blood.

The researchers used a polymer bar about a few centimeters wide with two holes, including copper wires and other necessary components. Then, one end of the heated polymer bar melts, then turns into very fine fibers, just like the way we stretch gum. The wires only a few micrometres in diameter are formed by the combination with other components that are then separated from the fiber.

The researchers used this fiber to weave into fabric. The cloth is then washed thoroughly several times to ensure that electronic devices remain active.

It is known that this fiber-optic fabric is very useful in communication and biomedical industry. Specifically, the measurement of the level of oxidation in the blood. The first application is expected to start in 2019.

Fabric integrated screen

For years, scientists have researched many fabrics called "smart textiles" , basically T-shirts connected to sensors or fitted with small screens. But recently this is the last complicated step when engineers integrate a flexible screen directly into the fabric.

With this fabric, information such as heart rate and calorie consumption will be displayed directly on the shirt.

This challenge has been met by researchers at Holst Center in Eindhoven (Netherlands). Since so-called flexible screens cannot stretch and bend in all directions like regular textiles, the risk of cracking is natural. So the researchers found a solution: attaching LED lights, usually in a hard state, onto a polyimide substrate and encapsulated in rubber.

The screen is designed with the name AMOLED with a resolution of 32 x 32 pixels, which can be integrated into fabrics. In particular, the bouncing screen is only 3 mm thin, once combined with different sensors will give information such as heart rate and calories burned, displayed directly on t-shirts.

According to Jeroen van den Brand, one of the researchers, they are continuing to improve screen performance and resolution, as well as making fabrics available for washing in the same fabrics as other common fabrics.