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Innovators find a variety of markets for color-changing materials
September 1st, 2016
New research and applications are proving that color-changing smart textiles continue to offer viable technology and products in the smart fabrics marketplace. Most recently, researchers from the School of Information, University of California, Berkeley, have developed a new color-changing “smart thread,” Ebb, that turns fabric into a computerized display. According to information provided by the […]
Projects and prototypes
June 29th, 2016
Industry breakthroughs are proving the viability of photovoltaic fabrics. The University of Wisconsin–Madison may not be the first research institution you would think of for solar textiles research, but a relatively new research team is changing that low profile substantially. Marianne Fairbanks, assistant professor in the School of Human Ecology, and Trisha Andrew, assistant professor […]
Market realities
June 1st, 2016
Smart fabrics technologies present unique opportunities—and challenges—to commercial product development. The growth of smart fabrics technologies and applications is no longer a curiosity; it’s the new reality of high-tech fabrics, and it’s gaining ground at an impressive pace. The size of the smart fabrics market, as presented at the Smart Fabrics Summit on April 11 […]
Smart Fabrics Summit draws key industry participants
May 1st, 2016
Government and industry players gathered in Washington, D.C., April 11 to discuss the “nascent smart fabrics market,” as described by Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, who moderated the final session at the one-day event. “This room is buzzing with energy,” said David Lauren, executive vice president of global marketing and communications for Ralph Lauren Corp., […]
Smarter every day
April 1st, 2016
The wearables market builds customer relationships with new products and high-tech expertise. The speedy acceptance of wearable technology by health and fitness enthusiasts has supported impressive growth in this market. This growth reflects today’s larger culture, in which people expect ready access to information. Consumers can even monitor and evaluate their health and fitness goals […]
Finishing fabric
March 1st, 2016
Coating and laminating treatments enhance fabric performance in important —and multiple— ways. The fabric itself can be just the beginning. For the end product manufacturer to get the performance qualities necessary to meet today’s stringent regulations and to satisfy the end customer’s high expectations, it is likely that the fabric will be coated. In some […]
Comfortable, versatile—and smart
December 1st, 2015
Interest, investment and applications in wearables show robust growth. With wearable technology continuing to thrive, IFAI’s Advanced Textiles Conference in Anaheim, Calif., in October offered attendees a variety of opportunities to learn about the current and projected market, new product offerings and breakthrough technologies. IFAI’s market research manager Jeff Rasmussen reports that the worldwide smart […]
What stretchable electronic inks could do for smart fabrics
October 8th, 2015
In a presentation Oct. 6 at IFAI’’s Advanced Textiles Conference in Anaheim, Calif., DuPont’s Dr. Michael Burrows posed the question: “Where’s the smart clothing? Where did it go?” His point was that e-textiles couldn’t progress more rapidly without stretchable electronics. “We believe this has been the missing element,” he said. DuPont has developed a new […]
Smart fabric markets show steady growth
October 7th, 2015
IFAI’s market research manager Jeff Rasmussen says that the worldwide smart fabrics market is growing at an annual rate of about 8 percent from about $984 million in 2011 to a projected $1.9 million in 2015. Rasmussen’s presentation on “Current Developments in the Smart and Interactive Fabrics Market” spoke Wednesday morning at IFAI’s Advanced Textiles […]
Impressive growth predicted for flexible, wearable electronics
October 6th, 2015
Dr. Guillaume Chansin told attendees at IFAI Advanced Textiles Conference in Anaheim, Calif., today that almost half of the wearable technology market is in North America and over half of that market is in the health and fitness segment. Dr. Chansin, a researcher with the British market research and consulting firm, IDTechEx, also said that […]