US Department of Defence is entering into a public-private partnership with an MIT-based non-profit, to further accelerate development of smart fabrics in the country.
Advanced Functional Fibers of America (AFFOA) Institute will be set up through the partnership with US $ 75 million funding from the Department of Defence. Furthermore, the association will reportedly be a consortium of 32 universities, 16 industry members, 72 manufacturing entities, and 26 start-up incubators.
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Forces of the US are keen to develop smart fabrics including clothes that have the potential to sense chemical contamination, power-generating fabrics, and parachutes that can self-identify defects. “Revolutionary fibres and textiles have enormous potential for our defence mission. For example, lightweight sensors, woven into the nylon of parachutes, will be able to catch small tears that otherwise would expand in mid-air, risking paratroopers’ lives,” said Ash Carter, US Defence Secretary during the announcement of the Institute.
Carter further added that textile manufacturers will soon merge fibres and yarns with flexible integrated circuits, lights and sensors to develop fabrics that can see, hear, sense, communicate, store energy, regulate temperature, monitor health, change colour and much more.
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Smart apparels will give that additional value to the products manufactured by US textiles industry. Such fabrics include textiles interlaced with electronics and sensors, able to give real-time information about the wearer and their environment.
