Home > News > An electric yarn: Clothes that could report a wounded soldier
December 10th, 2008
An electric yarn: Clothes that could report a wounded soldier
Abstract:
MANY science-fiction stories portray a time when warring generals monitor their forces on computer displays that are linked to electronic suits worn by each of their soldiers. Information about any injuries is sent to the command station immediately, so the generals will know that, say, Sergeant Johnson has a fractured ankle or that Corporal Caley has lost 1.2 litres of blood. Such a day may not be too far off. Researchers have been able to produce cotton fibres capable of detecting blood and of signalling its presence electrically.
Intelligent textiles have a lot of appeal. For both soldiers and doctors clothing that adapts to changing conditions could provide adjustable levels of protection from such things as microbes, chemicals and radiation. Commercial manufacturers see huge potential in clothes that glow, do not wrinkle or overcome body odour. Materials can already be made to do some of these things, but they are too bulky, rigid or complicated for practical use. So the aim is to manufacture a light material that can be easily woven but that is also highly durable and, in order to transmit information, capable of electrical conductivity.
A team of researchers led by Nicholas Kotov, a chemical engineer at the University of Michigan, has come up with a way in which this might be done by coating cotton threads with carbon nanotubes. These tubes are cylindrical carbon molecules with a unique honeycomb-like arrangement of atoms. They are regarded as among the most versatile nanomaterials available because of their mechanical strength and electrical properties.
Source:
economist.com
Bookmark:
| Related News Press |
News and information
Simulating magnetization in a Heisenberg quantum spin chain April 5th, 2024
NRL charters Navy’s quantum inertial navigation path to reduce drift April 5th, 2024
Discovery points path to flash-like memory for storing qubits: Rice find could hasten development of nonvolatile quantum memory April 5th, 2024
Good as gold - improving infectious disease testing with gold nanoparticles April 5th, 2024
Display technology/LEDs/SS Lighting/OLEDs
Utilizing palladium for addressing contact issues of buried oxide thin film transistors April 5th, 2024
Light guide plate based on perovskite nanocomposites November 3rd, 2023
Simple ballpoint pen can write custom LEDs August 11th, 2023
Possible Futures
Discovery points path to flash-like memory for storing qubits: Rice find could hasten development of nonvolatile quantum memory April 5th, 2024
With VECSELs towards the quantum internet Fraunhofer: IAF achieves record output power with VECSEL for quantum frequency converters April 5th, 2024
Nanotubes/Buckyballs/Fullerenes/Nanorods/Nanostrings
Tests find no free-standing nanotubes released from tire tread wear September 8th, 2023
Detection of bacteria and viruses with fluorescent nanotubes July 21st, 2023
Interviews/Book Reviews/Essays/Reports/Podcasts/Journals/White papers/Posters
Simulating magnetization in a Heisenberg quantum spin chain April 5th, 2024
Discovery points path to flash-like memory for storing qubits: Rice find could hasten development of nonvolatile quantum memory April 5th, 2024
Military
NRL charters Navy’s quantum inertial navigation path to reduce drift April 5th, 2024
What heat can tell us about battery chemistry: using the Peltier effect to study lithium-ion cells March 8th, 2024
New chip opens door to AI computing at light speed February 16th, 2024
Textiles/Clothing
Protective equipment with graphene nanotubes meets the strictest ESD safety standards March 25th, 2022
Polymer fibers with graphene nanotubes make it possible to heat hard-to-reach, complex-shaped items February 11th, 2022
Flexible material shows potential for use in fabrics to heat, cool July 3rd, 2020
Printing/Lithography/Inkjet/Inks/Bio-printing/Dyes
Presenting: Ultrasound-based printing of 3D materials—potentially inside the body December 8th, 2023
Simple ballpoint pen can write custom LEDs August 11th, 2023
Disposable electronics on a simple sheet of paper October 7th, 2022
 |
||
 |
||
| The latest news from around the world, FREE | ||
 |
||
|
|
||
| Premium Products | ||
 |
||
|
Only the news you want to read!
Learn More |
||
 |
||
|
Full-service, expert consulting
Learn More |
||
|
|
||