Wearable computing has taken another step forward with a new
fiber development coming from Huazhong University of Science and
Technology in China. The fiber is actually a tiny capacitor
stretched into a flexible thread that can be woven into cloth.
This offers interesting possibilities for energy storage and for
sensors that can be woven into clothing. By creating a simple
rolled capacitor and then heating and extruding it, Professor
Jian Feng Gu and his team have created a soft, flexible fiber
that is between 0.5 and 1 millimeter (0.02 to 0.04 inches) in
diameter that can be woven into cloth yet also has 1,000 times
as much capacitance as a coaxial cable. Used in conjunction with
pizeoelectric energy generators (or a portable solar panel)
energy to operate electronic devices could be stored in the
fibers. Sensors could be developed by combining these fibers
with other inductor materials, which could lead to a variety of
sensing circuits, as well. |< Prev||Next >|