The future is merging with the present at an incredible pace. This week in technology on the world wide web shows just how far we’ve come.

Say hello to Spray-On-Clothing


Clothing that shoots out of an aerosol can may sound like science fiction, but one Spanish designer-with-a-PhD has managed to pull off the world’s first spray-on garments that can be removed, washed, worn again, or dissolved to make new ones. Manel Torres, a former student of the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London, took 15 minutes to spray a skintight T-shirt on a male model at a demonstration on Thursday, in advance of his Science in Style spray-on fashion show this week.

Torres started toying with sprayable clothing 10 years ago, after he saw people playing with silly string at a wedding. After perfecting a formula with the help of Paul Luckham, a professor of particle technology at Imperial, Torres patented his Fabrican technology with the goal of not only creating bespoke clothing quickly and inexpensively, but also to provide new applications for the medical, transport, and chemical industries.{The Guardian}

Clothing 2 Power Personal Computers

Scientists at the University of Southampton are working on an energy-harvesting film that could make juicing a gadget as easy as swinging your arm or treading across a rug. Steve Beeby and his team at the university’s School of Electronics and Computer Science are using a combination of rapid printing processes and active-printed inks to screen the film directly onto fabric and textiles, including carpet. Batteries aren’t required, either. Because the film is designed to convert ambient energy in the environment—including motion and heat—into electricity it doesn’t require recharging or replacement.

“This project looks at generating electrical power from the way people move and then applying an energy harvesting film to the clothes they wear or the materials they have around them,” says Dr Beeby. “We will generate useful levels of power which will be harvested through the films in the textiles. The two big challenges in smart textiles are supplying power and surviving washing.” {Science Daily}

Meanwhile a team of University of California-Berkeley engineer have created nanofibers that could be woven into clothing and harvest energy from the wearer’s movements in order to power small electronics. The nano-sized generators convert stress, stretches and twists into energy. While their research continues, the team says they’ve found that smaller nanofibers and vigorous movements like dancing produce higher amounts of energy. They envision that the nanofibers could eventually be used to make energy-harvesting clothing and textiles that power hand-held electronics. Because the fibers are so small – one-tenth the width of most cloth fibers – they would not be noticeable by the wearer or affect the comfort of clothing.{GreenBiz}

Green Jeans: Forget Washing. Just Freeze Em.

The world’s most popular clothing item could also be the most eco-friendly. That’s right, blue-jeans are going green–or at least that the hope of one Brazilian manufacturer. The Rio based company, Tristar, recently revealed their new line of environmentally conscious jeans. Not only are the jeans made entirely of organic cotton, the way they’re cleaned is also a friendly nod to nature. Instead of using a wasteful washing-machine to clean these jeans, all you have to do is toss them in the freezer. All it takes to kill the bacteria is 24 hours in the freezer, owner Jandira Barone told the Jornal A Tribuna. When it’s pointed out that freezing the jeans will do little to remove stains, Barone is quick to point out that this look is in fashion: Don’t consumers buy pants frayed, ripped, and stained? The concept is the same, only it will be a detail produced by the wearer. If the jeans do get stained or are particularly dirty, they can be washed with more conventional techniques.

But in addition to the unorthodox method of freezing, the jeans are completely reversible, which Barone believes will extend the time between cleanings. The company is careful to be as sustainable in its production as the jeans they are producing. All the cotton is organically grown in Brazil on a plantation that uses no water or pesticides. Despite efforts put into making their jeans sustainable, the company believes that fashion and comfort will be their selling-point. “The result is a beautiful piece, and totally comfortable,” Barone said. She mentioned that the repeated thawing of the frozen jeans helps soften the fibers and become more form-fitting. When the jeans become available, they are expected to run around $150 a pair–which is a small price to pay for the what might be the world’s greenest jeans.{TreeHugger}





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