New Fibers Can See, Hear, Speak

[Karlis]

* New fibers created by scientists at MIT can see, hear and even talk.

* These intelligent fibers are made by adding light- and sound-sensitive materials to synthetic fabrics.

* The material could be used to create clothes that double as loudspeakers or can listen to your heart.

Read more...

[Mac E]

These will come in one style - a straight jacket.

[Admiral Danger]

you know what they will be saying.

"hey fatty, have you tried size 100 yet?"

"i dont know why you buy me, i just gonna make you uuugglyy"

"hey kid, try feeding yourself for a change, not me!"

[Karlis]

Perhaps those who post humourous remarks here did not bother to read the article? Consider the following:

The range of applications for such an integrated fibers is huge.

Some are obvious: hidden microphones embedded in clothes or shirts that can change into loudspeakers when necessary. Other applications are more subtle. The narrow fibers could be threaded through blood vessels to monitor blood flow. They could image organs, like the lungs, that are otherwise difficult to see with ultrasound.

Right now the fibers require an external power source. That could soon change, said Fink. By tweaking the piezoelectric fibers to maximize power output when they are flexed, it could be possible to create a fabric that could power not only itself, but other electrical devices as well.

The U.S. Army has already tested the light-sensitive materials as a means of communications between soldiers, said Fink in an interview last year. (Fink's research is funded by DARPA at MIT's Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies.)

Regards,

Karlis

[-WOLF-12227-]

Talking underwear sounds like a brilliant idea!

[Mac E]

Perhaps those who post humourous remarks here did not bother to read the article?

Hey now Nice one!

Of course I read the article, but this tech still has hurdles to overcome. I for one want clothes that are confortable and simple. I don't need tech in my clothes. All I want it to do is cover my stuff that others don't want to see and keep me warm in the winter.

[xanthurion]

WHYYYYYYY?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!? why are people wasting time and money on something nobody needs? why dont they do something useful like find a way to stop global warming instead of making talking t-shirts?

[Luxord]

finally they are doing it. for usefull things this can do think of this. pretend you just ate a burger at a resturant well since your smart clothes can read your organs and bloodflow it can tell you that it was poisined food saving your life as it automactically calls 911 for you since you may not have a phone wiyth you as your leaving. your climbing a mountain and you scrape your knee no big deal right?well your smart clothes can tell you that a virus or seriouly contagious bacteria has entered your blood stream. you imeaditly go back to the trail you came from and dial for a doctor or if its a serious illness 911 all handled by your clothes. your smart underwear will talk to that hot girls clothing and tell you wether she gets hot looking at you lol. think of the possible abilities of this

[little_dreamer]

Just keep wearing your t-shirt for days without washing it. Your shirt will start talking to you after a while.

[Nenaptio]

making undercover assignments easier! no need for hidden microphones, the microphone is the shirt!

but by making these, the government could probably know what everyone is doing...

[Kyouka]

An amazing new development for surveillance technology. Just imagine--Twenty years from now, your pants will be able to spy on you, and subsequently inform you that you're under arrest!

[Alladar]

Well that will make it alot easier when travelling overseas. Your clothes can tell customs what you have been doing before hoping on the plane.

Edited July 18, 2010 by Alladar