Singapore boffins weave a GUI into fabric, and it’s machine washable too
Researchers in Singapore have woven tiny light-emitting chips and pressure-sensitive components into flexible fibres, creating an electronic fabric that could turn a sweater sleeve into a computer interface. In a lab demonstration, the sleeve controlled devices and supported features such as graphics, audio and wireless data exchange. The fibres can also incorporate sensors, microphones and speakers. The team says its fibres can be made up to 10 metres long and withstand 50 gentle machine washes and 1,000 bends. But this wearable tech is still a prototype: it needs external batteries and separate control circuits, and its demonstrated functions are relatively simple. Researchers say the next step is to make the electronics easier to wear and explore threads that generate power from body heat or movement. Could your next interface be built right into your clothes?