Want to make sure the batteries on your cell phone or mp3 player never run out while you’re on the move. Then you’d better arrange to have your clothes made from a new mircofiber fabricdeveloped by scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology, according to Reuters. The agency says that in areport in the journal Nature, the scientists claim that as a shirt the fabric could generate energy from walking or even being rippled by the wind. The fabric isactually a fiber-based nanogenerator that utilizes the semiconductive properties of extremely small zinc oxide nanowires that are embedded into the fabric. The wires are formed into pairs resemblinga brush. One fiber in the pair is coated with gold to become an electrode and electricity is them generated by movement of the fabric. Zhong Lin Wang, who headed the study, toldReuters, said his group had made a prototype of the fabric. “Our estimates show we can have up to 80 milliwatts per square metre of this fabric. This is enough to power a little iPod orcharge a cell-phone battery." However, there’s a catch. Since zinc oxide tends to degrade when it’s wet, putting that fabric in the laundry is a no-no – or possibly evengoing out in the rain. But the scientists are working on that.
Tag Archive: fabric
New Fiber Makes Motion Electric
G-Tech Fabric Keyboard Hits CompUSA
High-end and style-conscious peripheral maker G-Tech has announced that its 5250 Wireless Fabric Keyboard is now available through select CompUSA retailers at a suggested price of $129.99.
“Our wireless keyboards are just the latest in a line of exciting new products featuring ElekTex smart fabric touchpad technology, which has opened up a whole new realm of possibilities for mobile computing and wearable electronic goods,” said Mark Treger, G-tech’s VP of sales and marketing in a statement.
Wardrobe matching mobiles
This new technology allows the use of real fabrics and leathers in the casings of portable electronic devices and brings new opportunities for co-branding to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). So whether the hottest fashion is faux fur, leather, suede or faded denim, consumers can have electronic devices to match.
In the market for electronic devices, state-of-the-art electronics performance and ease-of-use are no longer competitive advantages; they have become the price of entry. “Performance features are no longer the only differentiating factors in electronics purchase decisions,†according to Tom Tarnowski, business manager for Inclosia Solutions. “Instead, branding and appearance are important drivers in motivating consumer purchase. Innovative enclosure design gives products a style that strikes an emotional connection between consumer and device, turning it into an object of desire, as well as a reflection of personality.â€
