With the invention of technology-laden fabrics, otherwise known as smart textiles, we are able to benefit from multifunctional materials.  

Smart textiles, also known as E-textiles, smart garments, tech fabrics, and smart fabrics, are materials based on technology that integrate advanced features beneficial to the wearer. In an interview with Forbes,  Rebeccah Pailes-Friedman, smart textiles and wearable technologies expert stated,  “what makes smart fabrics revolutionary is that they have the ability to do many things that traditional fabrics cannot, including communicate, transform, conduct energy and even grow.” And as crazy as it might sound, having computers and technology literally integrated into our clothing is not only acceptable but may one day be the norm.

“Smart textiles can be broken into two different categories: Aesthetic and Performance Enhancing,” says Forbes. And because of this, these technologically advanced textiles are being utilized by several different industries. Medical, beauty, sports, military, and fashion are taking advantage of such innovations to benefit its users in a way that’s seamlessly integrated into our lives. Excited to see what developments lay ahead, we’ll be exploring a few fabrics that may be in our closets, homes, and doctors offices sooner rather than later.

1. Light Up Fabric

Imagine leaving reflectors at home when you go out for an evening stroll, or skipping the candles in favor of your curtains because there’s a material that can do all of that for you. From the LumiGram site: “The Luminous Fiber Optic Fabric is a fabric that literally lights up; It is made of ultra-thin optical fibers, directly woven with synthetic fibers.” The decor line is perfect for special occasions or for eliciting that wow factor from friends, and while the clothing line is geared more toward the raver or party goer, we could definitely imagine this integrated into regular clothing, like workout gear, sneakers, and more, in the future.

2. Drug Releasing Material

The University of Washington is onto a breakthrough in preventing women from being infected with HIV and it may come from a carefully designed material. They’ve created a “medicated, electrospun fabric” that has the potential to release the antiretrovital drugs faster than other methods. From the Fierce Pharma website, based on study results published in the August issue of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, “UW bioengineers spun topical drugs into silklike fibers that quickly dissolve when exposed to moisture, releasing higher levels of antiretroviral drug in less time than topical gels or rings.” In addition to this, researchers are also hoping to develop an HIV preventing tampon that could be inserted into the vagina prior to intercourse.

3. Moisturizing Textiles

Thanks to advancements in smart textiles, there may come a time when you no longer have to apply lotions and moisturizers in the traditional way. JuveTex Rejuvenating Fabric is a revolutionary way to hydrate without creams or chemicals. According to the site, “The skin moisturizing capabilities are built permanently into the fabric. In one square inch there are over 20,000 microfibers which makes the fabric ultra-luxurious.” In addition to that, JuveTex, founded on medical science, “is a proprietary weave pattern and blend of natural cellulosic fibers and synthetic microfibers. It is uniquely constructed to channel moisture away from the skin’s surface via a hydrophobic transport layer to the soft absorbent backing layer where it then evaporates.” Now that’s a pair of pajamas we could get behind.

4. Temperature Regulating Fabric

Absorbing and releasing heat, textiles from Outlast allow its users to regulate body temperature with ease. The company utilizes these fabrics for a variety of applications, including bedding, apparel, footwear, seating, and body armor. Rather than wicking heat away during slumber, this company’s materials actually feature proactive heat management technology that has been “tested and proven to alleviate spikes in skin temperature that cause sleep disturbances.” And when it comes to clothing, Outlast claims that the wearer “will feel just right, no matter what the activity or season.” Reducing perspiration by up to 70 percent in some cases, this is a welcome technology so far.

As you can see, smart textiles are beautiful, exciting, practical, and even life-saving. With such amazing advancements on the horizon we can’t wait to see what the future of fabrics has in store. What do you think about tech materials and their role in society? Share your thoughts with us on the EcoSalon Facebook page!

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Image of Sewing Machine via Shutterstock

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D Free is wearable technology that’s being marketed for the elderly or those with disabilities and incontinence. It lets people know ahead of time that they have to go so they don’t have accidents.

D Free lets you know before you even know so you have time to find a restroom. It gives you around 10 minutes to find a restroom via an app on your phone.

The wearable technology will also note every time that you go to the bathroom so it can gather accurate data about your going habits. Talk about losing your privacy. According to the company, it takes back control of your life so you no longer have to fear embarrassing accidents.

It’s about the size of a business card and it sits on your stomach. The device detects swelling or movement in your bowels and later works off of data gathered from your regular bathroom habits.

Triple W, a Japanese start up based in California, says that they are planning to bring the device to crowd funding sites. Right now the price point of the device is around $200 but they hope to bring it down to $50 by the time it hits the market. The company hopes to launch the device by May.

According to Mashable:

Details are still scarce, but according to a promotional video, the wearable will be able to detect “activity in your intestines” — at which point an accompanying app will send you a push notification providing an approximate window of time that lets you know how much time you have to find a restroom.

What do you think? Is this a serious invasion of privacy or does this fill a need for those that have unpredictable bowel movements?

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Image of stomach pain from Shuttershock

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Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the era of fashion tech.

It seems that there’s a dedicated startup community to every industry. With wearable technology rapidly permeating popular culture, it’s no surprise that fashion has become an active player in the world of small, emerging businesses. It wasn’t very long ago that the intersection of style and, say, mobile devices seemed revolutionary, like when Michael Kors handbags first appeared with a built-in iPad case: a feature that today seems no more than standard.

It seems fitting that a New York co-working venue, SoTechie Spaces, played host to last week’s Fashion Week Pitch Night: An opportunity for fashion tech startups to pitch their business plans to a panel of judges. While only one presenter took home the title of “winner,” all three startups exhibited plans and products worthy of following.

Image: Stylgenius

1. Stylgenius

To the minds behind Stylgenius, the term “wearable technology” is a vast understatement. Instead, this company looks “to design products that are urban, trendsetting, unique, and functional”; read: something that doesn’t make its wearer look like a bipedal robot, but will still impress your friends. Stylgenius products border on deliriously practical, like the Intelligent Magic Ring that, while appearing just like a ring one might find in a normal jewelry store, is actually wired to send digital links, business cards and more. What’s more, the company has taken the concept behind Google Glass, designed to allow one to browse the web through his or her frames, and used it to create glasses that don’t look like the result of a science experiment. Instead, the end products are fun, trendy and connected specs.

Image: Shadepicker

2. Shadepicker

It’s a thought that’s occurred to more than one of us: “I wish I could capture the colors from that sunset.” At long last, a neophyte mobile app has made that wish come true. With Shadepicker, a digital color-matching platform, smartphone users can simply snap a photo, and the app will instantly generate a list of nail polish colors closely resembling those in the picture. At the very least, Shadepicker should make for hours of amusement; imagine how much more fun the walk past that bakery with the colorful macaron display will be.

Image: Fund Dreamer

3. Locator1

Anecdotal evidence has supported the theory that Apple’s “Find My Phone” app should be renamed “Wait Four Hours At the Apple Store With No Results.” Enter Locator1: A digitally connected phone case that allows users to find a lost phone, even if it’s turned off or has a dead battery. It’s all done through a key fob, the tiny, not-so-silent hero that, when prompted, will set off an alarm built into the Locator1 case. While some may see it as the mobile equivalent of I-can’t-remember-where-I-parked, the concept is exceedingly practical. Judges agreed; Locator1 inventor T. J. Wright (yes, the former football player) was named the winner of the pitch event.

Say hey to Amanda on Twitter or Instagram

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Computers already run your life, should they run your fitness routine as well? An infographic looks at the impact of wearable technology on our health.

Technology is getting smaller, more efficient, and more embedded into our every day activities. Wearable technology, gadgets we attach to our bodies, is just around the next historical bend. Already we’ve seen smart watches and internet-enhanced glasses. Now, companies are ushering in the next generation of exercise with wearable technology that monitors and records our performance, encouraging us to greater physical fitness. But are these new technologies really necessary, or are we just making things more complicated? And where will this quest for wearable technology ultimately take us?

According to a 2013 report from Berg Insight, a telecom industry research company, about 8.3 million wearable computers were sold worldwide in 2012, and that number was projected to rise to 64 million by 2017. If correct, this means that most of us will wear some sort of wearable technology on a regular basis in the very near future.

No doubt many of these devices will be related to exercise or healthcare. Already devices like FitBit and Sony Core tell people everything from how many steps they walk in a day, to how well they sleep at night. Apps like MapMyRun and CardioTrainer replace personal trainers. Gadgets like the Spree Headband go even deeper, combining motion, heart rate and body temperature sensors to give serious athletes real-time feedback that designers claim will build strength, burn calories, and/or increase endurance.

We’re already building the internet of things, and adding wearable technology to the mix seems like a logical next step. But it’s not without risks, especially when it comes to accuracy and privacy. Scroll through the infographic below to discover more pros and cons of wearable technology.

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Top image via Spree. Infographic via InsuranceQuotes

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What we wear defines us…and may save our lives, or at least, charge our phones.

Clothes serve a function. They protect us from the elements, keep us clean and warm, and oh yes, as far as Anna Wintour is concerned, the most critical reason: they keep us looking fabulous, which has become a near necessity of the modern world. We identify with what we wear as much as the world identifies us by our garments, particularly urban fashion. But what about clothing that say, charges your iPhone or detects cancer? What does that say about who we are? Meet wearable technology.

Technology has long been a part of clothing—from the creation of synthetic fabrics, to everyone’s favorite: Velcro—science is no stranger to style. Our foray into the futuristic gadget-driven hi-tech era is now seeing innovation become a driving force in fashion. You can get lost in the Pinterest boards for wearable tech, which I most certainly did. Somewhere between Tron and Lady Gaga, you have wearable technology. Here’s a glimpse…

Clothing

image: treehugger

1. Flutter Dress: Wearable technology isn’t just about getting online faster. The Flutter dress is designed for the hearing impaired. Created by Halley Profita, Nicholas Farrow, and Professor Nikolaus Correll at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Treehugger says the Flutter dress, “gives vibrotactile feedback in the direction of a loud sound or alarm to help those with hearing loss respond more intuitively to their external environment. The team also says that development of this wearable technology would also cut down on e-waste created by discarded hearing devices.”

image: first warning systems

2. Breast Cancer Detecting Bra: With a 90 percent success rate, it’s definitely a miracle bra. A Reno, Nevada medical technology company has created a bra that detects temperature changes in breast tissue, which can help discover tumors years before some mammograms.

image: ecouterre

3. Air Quality Detecting Dress: How about a dress that can tell you how clean the air is? This designer works with dyes that respond to subtle changes in the environment which will change the color of the dress.

image: ecouterre

4. LED Dress: Here’s a double whammy: Emily Steel’s “Little Slide Dress” is recycled from old film scraps and lit with LEDs that highlight the film images.

image: ecouterre

5. Thermoelectric Galoshes: Charge your iPhone with these galoshes while working or relaxing.

Accessories

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image: pebble

6. The Pebble: It’s a smart watch you synch with your wireless devices to see text messages, email alerts, phone calls. Oh yeah, it tells time, too.

image: google

7. Google glasses: Wearable computers that can record videos and take photos. Not available yet but Google plans to have them out this year.

image: everpurse

8. Everpurse: Don’t fumble around for your car or desk charger—just drop your iPhone into your Everpurse and it charges it for you.

image: designbuzz

9. Portable Washer: All your wearable technology will need a good warshin’ while you trek it around the globe and this little portable washboard is pretty darn nifty.

Keep in touch with Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

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Think fashion and technology are the way of the future when it comes to tapping into our emotions, charging cell phones or just wearing “living jewelry?”

Then if in New York City, head over to Parsons, The New School for Design on November 19, 2010 to hear alumni of the school’s tech program as well as other noted experts speak about the contextualizing of wearable technology.

A free event and the first of hopefully many symposiums on how fashion is quickly advancing into celebrating the garment electric, experts in the field will talk about visionary projects that aren’t just talk – but real life designs that you can touch, wear and see.
A book talk and launch at Parsons by symposium founder and Assistant Professor of Fashionable Technology Dr. Sabine Seymour will present her new book Functional Aesthetics,  which explores projects “between the poles of fashion, design, technology, and sciences.”

According to a release, Dr. Seymour is using the opportunity of the launch of her new book in the USA “to gather a select group of experts in the field of fashion, technology, and design to ignite a critical discourse in this ever growing field of Fashionable Technology.”

A workshop following the launch will introduce participants to paper electronics and how to build simple circuits while a social reception and exhibition following will feature pieces from Ripcurl’s Heated Wetsuit, Droog’s Gluejeans, fabrick.it, Lost Value’s Zippy kits and lflect hats, SUN Shirts, miCoach from Adidas as well as paper electronics by Cecilia Elguero & Paola Guimera.

For more information on the event or to RSVP go here.

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