Transmaterial » fabric

Power Felt

Blaine Brownell — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:00:46 +0000

Scientists at the Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials at Wake Forest University have developed a thermoelectric fabric that converts body heat into electricity. The material is made of layers of interlocking carbon nanotubes and plastic fibers, and feels similar to felt. The thermoelectric technology develops electric current from temperature differences, such as the difference between anatomical temperature and room temperature.

According to Wake Forest researcher Corey Hewitt, “We waste a lot of energy in the form of heat. For example, recapturing a car’s energy waste could help improve fuel mileage and power the radio, air conditioning or navigation system. Generally thermoelectrics are an underdeveloped technology for harvesting energy, yet there is so much opportunity.”

The first prototypes of Power Felt yielded 140 nanowatts of power from 72 layers of nanofabric, and the researchers are currently attempting to increase the output of the technology.

“I imagine being able to make a jacket with a completely thermoelectric inside liner that gathers warmth from body heat, while the exterior remains cold from the outside temperature,” says Hewitt. “If the Power Felt is efficient enough, you could potentially power an iPod, which would be great for distance runners. It’s definitely within reach.”

Contact: Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.

ExoSkeleton

Blaine Brownell — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:00:10 +0000

ExoSkeleton is a quilted concrete panel made from organic duck cloth canvas and cast concrete. Two layers of the canvas are quilted using reinforced stitching in a structurally stable configuration. The reinforced stitching is engineered to withstand the fluid lateral forces specific to the amount of uncured concrete relative to the diameter of the pocket created by the sewn fabric. The formwork is then hung in a vertical configuration supported at the top, similar to the arrangement of a shower curtain. At the base of the fabric, friction pilings or a trough are set plumb to the supports at the top of the fabric and serve as the foundation of the cured form.

Developed by Thompson Young Design, ExoSkeleton’s canvas fabric is configured to allow pumped concrete to self-support in compression and framed laterally by the tensile strength of the fabric within the diamond shaped quilted pockets, which are connected to a foundation. The canvas can be removed once the concrete is cured, or it can be incorporated into the finish.

Concrete supports more than its own weight in compression, and the material nature of fabric offers a high strength in tension. As long as the balance of concrete in compression relative the tensile strength of the fabric is stable, concrete will stack. When coupled, the compressive stability of concrete and the tensile strength of fabric combine to frame the curing process of concrete to achieve infinite concrete configurations.

Contact: Thompson Young Design, Charleston, SC, USA.

Fuzzy Light Switch

Blaine Brownell — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:00:15 +0000

International Fashion Machines provides private research and consulting in electronic textiles to a variety of clients, industries, and the military. They work with the latest electronic yarns and a variety of textile processes including embroidery, sewing, weaving and braiding. IFM also creates electronic textile connections, both intra-textile and between traditional electronics and textiles.

Designed by Maggie Orth, IFM’s Fuzzy Light Switches are woven and embroidered touch sensors for dimming lights or controlling electronic devices with the touch of a hand. IFM’s interactive textiles can cover a wall, control the lights in the room, or become part of the furniture.

Contact: International Fashion Machines, Seattle, WA, USA.
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GKD Metal Fabrics

Blaine Brownell — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 14:00:03 +0000

Woven metal fabrics have been developed for use as decorative and functional design elements in architecture. The French National Library in Paris was the first architectural project where GKD, in cooperation with French architect Dominique Perrault, succeeded in systematically implementing metal meshes in a building in various ways and applications. Since then, this development has continued worldwide.

For decades, GKD has manufactured metal fabrics for industrial applications in filtration and separation technologies and the process belt sector. At first, it was their visual attractiveness that made metal fabrics suitable for the architecture and design sector. During the continuous product development, it became clear that metal fabrics also have considerable technical advantages which are extremely relevant in the field of architecture. Today, the architect has a wide range of fabric samples at hand, with weaving widths up to 26 feet.

Woven metal fabrics may be used as partition elements, projection screens, and acoustic scrims appropriate for public buildings, opera houses and concert halls.

Contact: GKD-USA, Inc., Cambridge, MD, USA.
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Digital Dawn

Blaine Brownell — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 14:00:46 +0000

Designed by Rachel Wingfield, Digital Dawn is a textile that responds to environmental stimuli. Digital Dawn functions as a traditional window blind with a reactive surface that is in constant flux, growing in luminosity in response to its surroundings.

Wingfield intended Digital Dawn to emulate the process of photosynthesis using electroluminescent printing technology. Light-dependent sensors monitor the changing light levels within a space, triggering the growth of the organic foliage on the blind. A natural environment will appear to grow on the window surface, exploring how changing light levels within a space can have profound and physiological impact on our sense of well-being.

Contact: Loop.pH Ltd & Elumin8, London, UK.
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SOUND Wall

Blaine Brownell — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 18:00:18 +0000

The NONdesigns SOUND Wall, designed by Scott Franklin and Miao Miao, is a modular system of interactive tiles used to create wall surfaces that alter their texture and light qualities based on environmental stimuli. With every sound produced by its audience, the SOUND Wall responds by opening its “skin,” allowing light to spill out across the textural surface. Each module reacts independently, causing the wall to have reflections of activity where it is closest to sources of sound. The system is expandable to any wall size and its sensitivity is adjustable to react to soft or loud sound levels. The modules are custom-built for each project, so size and color can be selected to fit the application.

Contact: NONdesigns, LLC, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Find more information in Transmaterial 3.

Parametre

Blaine Brownell — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 15:00:07 +0000

Parametre is a lightweight, expandable 3D textile system designed to deliver visual impact with minimal material. Made of 100% non-woven polyester, this flexible textile can be used in a variety of residential or commercial applications in which a rich visual texture is required. Parametre may be used as a solar shading device, space divider, light diffusion panel, or screen for rapidly reconfigurable spaces.

Contact: 3form, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Find more information in Transmaterial 3.

NanoSphere

Blaine Brownell — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 14:00:10 +0000

NanoSphere is a self-cleaning finish technology composed of nanoparticles that form a fine structure on textile surfaces. Water or substances such as oil or ketchup simply run off the NanoSphere surface, and any residue can easily be rinsed off with a little water. Textiles with NanoSphere treatment require less frequent washing and can be washed at lower temperatures. They also exhibit increased abrasion and weather resistance. The function of NanoSphere is retained even after numerous washing or cleaning cycles. NanoSphere has been developed in accordance with the Bluesign standard, guaranteeing the highest possible exclusion of harmful substances.

Contact: Schoeller Technologies AG, Sevelen, Switzerland.
Find more information in Transmaterial 3.

Litmuscreen

Blaine Brownell — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 14:00:07 +0000

Jordan Geiger developed Litmuscreen as an architectural and product design material based on the performance and properties of litmus paper. Litmuscreen is a simple modification to an old technology—the adaptation of chemical properties found in lichen to indicate acid/base imbalances in a liquid. In this product’s application, a rugged textile suitable to exterior uses displays shifts in color to red or blue as an indicator of environmental pollutants in rain. The intuitive interface provides real-time information regarding local air pollution conditions, without the use of electricity or additional construction.

Contact: Ga-Ga, Berkeley, CA, USA.
Find more information in Transmaterial 3.

Unrepeatable Carpets

Blaine Brownell — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 14:00:54 +0000

A collaboration between visual artist Marcel Kronenburg and software engineer Marten Teitsma, Unrepeatable Carpets are the result of a process designed to create unique carpet patterns throughout buildings. A reaction against the repetitive monotony of standard carpet tiles, Unrepeatable Carpets apply randomly generated images and patterns to a variety of carpet materials. Custom-designed software runs a computer-controlled carpet printing machine, and this process generates an endless variety of outcomes using a particular decorative pattern. Due to the universal quality of the pattern, however, tiles may still be easily replaced when necessary.

Contact: Carpets for Buildings, Arnhem, The Netherlands.
Find more information in Transmaterial 3.