My outfit = my computer
Some of the most exciting developments in smart apparel are happening at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In 2022, researchers created a knit fabric with embedded sensors capable of recognising a wearer’s movements, such as walking, jumping or running. By 2025, they had gone a step further with the invention of an autonomous, programmable computer in the form of a flexible plastic fibre (a fibre computer). This can be woven directly into clothing to monitor health conditions and physical activity, even alerting the wearer in real time to potential risks. The technology is currently being tested in extreme conditions by U.S. Army and Navy personnel during a winter research mission in the Arctic to monitor their health in harsh environments. Some scientists note that the MIT programmable computing fabric may eventually become a gamechanger for everyday lives.
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Can you imagine wearing a shirt that cools you down the moment you start sweating on a hot summer’s day?
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