Erin Parker Tillery, Graduate Research Assistant, North Carolina State University

This research explores Technology Transfer (TT) in textile-based academic environments. Primary investigations include cultural and personal motivators behind TT and the current awareness of both students and faculty relating to TT processes and university offerings. Participants’ surveys and interviews provide information on the state of knowledge of faculty and students connected to the United States textile industry. The study’s results are expected to illuminate a gap in the motivations or knowledge of individuals in textile-based universities that can be remedied with new materials created specifically for textile disciplines. The effects of this research are a better understanding of the thought processes of textile academic researchers and innovators, allowing industry partners to better understand the mechanisms for collaboration. This understanding could lead to more successful TT, benefiting IP licensors and licensees and ultimately helping consumers get the most value from products.

Irmandy Wicaksono, Hybrid Electrical-textile Engineer, Artist, and Designer, PhD Candidate, MIT Media Lab

Textiles are omnipresent and some of the oldest forms of arts and culture in human civilization. They are our protective skin, the interface between our body and the environment, and artistic media for self-expression. As electronics become more soft, compliant, miniaturized, and low-cost, textiles provide an ideal technology integration substrate to further drive the ubiquitous computing and personalized telemedicine era. My research combines recent advances in functional materials, microelectronics, hardware systems, digital fabrication, and immersive technologies to develop sensate fabrics across scales.

In this talk, explore various methods in sensate fabric development using functional fibers, digital machine knitting, and printed circuits to create e-textiles with tunable electrical and mechanical properties and computational capabilities for applications in HCI, health, musical expression, and interactive environments.

This talk will discuss NASA’s approach to textile selection for high O2 environments including why we need to operate in high O2 environments and the associated flammability testing efforts.

Holly Morris, Consultant Hand Surgeon and Medical Textile Specialist

By generating almost 5% of the world’s carbon emissions, healthcare, if it were a country, would be the world’s fifth biggest polluter and for the UK in 2017, the health sector alone was responsible for 4.4% of its net global greenhouse gas emissions and 6.3% of that country’s carbon footprint. In 2020, the UK National Health Service became the first health service to announce its intention to achieve Net Zero emissions. Between 20% and 33% of health care waste is thought to originate from a hospital’s operating rooms and up to 90% of this is sent for unnecessary hazardous-waste disposal. Current practice allows the use of disposable or re-usable textile items but textile products can still account for up to 30% of the waste generated within an operating theatre.

This presentation, by one of the authors of the textile guidance given for the UK Green Surgery Report, explains the steps that those working in textile product development and those working in healthcare can take to reduce the textile-related carbon footprint and, in particular, to how medical textile items, such as gowns and drapes can be selected to produce a lower carbon footprint.  Attention is also paid to how reusable textiles can be microbiologically decontaminated and laundered in the most economical and ecologically-acceptable fashion. The presentation draws attention to the need for willingness to implement already-existing solutions for environmentally-acceptable personal protective equipment (PPE) and low carbon-footprint laundry processes for the cleaning and microbiological decontamination of all types of re-usable textiles employed within the operating theatre. Where redesign of PPE is required, the need is stressed for sensitive adjustment of standards to support the implementation of reusable forms, whilst maintaining the original high performance requirements expected in actual use.

Prateeti Ugale, Graduate Research Assistant, North Carolina State University

Flexible interconnects play a pivotal role in the development of electronic textiles, enabling the creation of wearable systems with integrated electronic functionalities like sensing, data processing, communication, and actuation for various applications like smart clothing for healthcare monitoring, sports performance tracking, augmented reality interfaces, and interactive fashion. Vertical flexible interconnects unlock several capabilities like compactness, comfort, scalability, and modularity, enhancing the user experience and expanding the possibilities of wearable technology.

Frank Keohan, Senior Technology Manager, Bolger & O’Hearn, Inc.

Liquid repellents based on perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are under intense regulatory pressure both locally and globally.  Fluorine-free replacements often require process variation from conventional fluorochemical repellents and provide little oil repellency.  The choice of repellent and application conditions are critical for obtaining maximum performance.  This is especially true for critical applications in medical and military textiles.  Attendees will learn the basics behind fluorine-free repellents, PFAS detection, regulatory issues, and the evolving technology for increasing repellency performance.

Dr. Gozde Goncu-Berk, PhD, Associate Professor of Design, UC Davis

By leveraging transdisciplinary design innovations, this presentation will showcase how collaborative efforts across engineering, healthcare, and design fields can lead to textile based wearable solutions in enhancing health and wellbeing. The presentation will highlight electronic textiles and smart clothing to monitor health, provide sensory feedback, and adapt to various environmental and activity-based contexts

Lelia Lawson, Research & Development Specialist, Davey Textile Solutions Inc.

Why don’t we wear hemp? In terms of Canadian hemp, the primary reason is end-use application. The majority of hemp crops grown in Canada are grain/seed crops. These crops are cultivated at a lower seeding rate than traditional textile hemp crops to allow for a larger canopy. This results in a stalk that has a lower bast to hurd ratio, as well as varying width from the tip to the root. Furthermore, grain/seed crops contain higher lignin than traditional textile crops due to longer growing periods. The resulting bast fiber is extremely coarse and requires additional processing to make is useable in a textile application. An alternative is to utilize hemp as a feedstock to manufacture regenerated cellulosic fibers. The research presented will demonstrate the validity of using Canadian-grown hemp as a primary feedstock in manufacturing regenerated cellulosic fibers using the environmentally-friendly lyocell process. Different pretreatments to the hemp stalk will be discussed, offering an opportunity to process hemp stalks both efficiently and economically.

Salman Chaudhry, Senior Technical Advisor for KBR Inc, partnering with Axiom Space to support the NASA Artemis III Mission

The presentation will highlight the harsh space environments on the Low Earth Orbit and the Lunar Surface. Flammability, extreme temperature swings, UV radiations and atomic oxygen influx, micro-meteoroid orbital debris risks and how it correlates to textile material performance for the space environment qualification.

How advancement in textile developments is pushing the limits for not only protecting the astronauts but enabling the next generation of space exploration.

Konrad Rykaczewski, Associate Professor, Arizona State University

Understanding how the human body is heated and cooled in extreme heat can inform the design of textiles and garments that can support thermoregulation. This presentation will cover new methods used to understand these processes in sunny and extremely hot conditions (up to 119F). It will cover radiative and convective body heating measured using the first outdoor thermal manikin and discuss evaporative skin cooling from the perspective of a single sweat pore.

Dr. Nic Brownless, COO / VP R&D, Eeonyx Corp

This is a general first hand account of the challenges faced by a small company in making customized coated sensor fabrics for a number of different applications. The presentation will discuss challenges faced in this endeavor, including but not exclusive to:

• Learning to speak the same language as the customer
• Bridging the Performance Specification gap
• Selection and/or creation of suitable testing methods and devices to truly evaluate fabric fitness for use
• Typical behaviors of sensor fabrics when placed under duress with compression
• Achieving consistency from batch to batch

Anirudh Sharma, Researcher, MIT Media Lab

Anirudh will delve into his journey evolving from research labs to startups on wearable computing, material science, AI and its impact on the fashion/and print industry. He will focus on climate impact and CO2-to-new-materials innovations developed at the MIT spinoff Graviky Labs. Later he will demonstrate novel approaches, and techniques using advanced sensing techniques combined with Artificial Intelligence, LLMs to interpret and understand information from the physical world.

Dr. Juliana Cherston, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian; Consultant on Emerging Technology

In this classroom session, Dr. Juliana Cherston will offer a case study on a partnership between her research group at MIT and collaborators from industry to bring the first electronic textile to the International Space Station. In addition to sharing details on the project itself, she will offer a retrospective on successes and challenges in how to structure partnerships, scope project timelines, and manage deliverables. Juliana will also offer a broad sense for the landscape of opportunity when it comes to textiles in space, both near term and far future.

Jamie Griggs, Senior Brand Partner, Hohenstein; Will Troutman, Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP

How do you balance risk and budget while protecting customers, workers and the environment? Complicated supply chains with global legal compliance? Reputations and performance with claim validation?

The challenges surrounding sustainability, regulatory and industry compliance require greener chemistry — proactively reducing or eliminating chemical hazards. This means predicting restrictions, preventing hazards from entering supply chains and strategic testing based on risk. Join us to discuss the legal and technical considerations that go into a greener chemistry approach.

Manu Venkataramu, COO and Todd Morgan, VP of Sales, InfoPine

Challenges: Identify and address common obstacles to implementing AI technologies in textile businesses like high initial costs, integration complexities, and resistance to change that can cause limited or no return on investment (ROI).

ROI Calculator: Learn how to use a ROI calculator to assess the financial impact and benefits of implementing AI technologies.

Strategic Advantages of AI in Maximizing ROI in Textile Manufacturing: AI can optimize key aspects of textile manufacturing to maximize ROI, including:

• Optimize Production Schedules
• Accurate Demand Forecasting
• Efficient Resource Allocation
• Targeted Reductions in Inventory, Errors, and Labor Costs

Real-World Examples: Delve into case studies and success stories that highlight how AI adoption within the industry helps manufacturers achieve expected ROI.

Actionable Insights: Receive advice on harnessing AI to drive innovation and achieve sustainable growth, all while focusing on maximizing your financial returns.

Session Outcome: Discover how AI can transform operations and enhance your competitive edge in the textile business by improving profitability through targeted reductions.

*Workshop is full, waiting list only

Eldy Lazaro, PhD Student , ATLAS Institute, CU Boulder
This workshop will teach participants biobased material development and implementation via hands-on explorations and brainstorming activities. We will discuss the material’s life cycle, design opportunities for disassembly, and end-of-life of soft electronics and interactive interfaces. Attendees will leave with the knowledge of being able to:

• Make agar-agar bioplastics and biofoams.
• Integrate biobased materials into woven structures to make interactive interfaces.
• Imagine applications of biobased materials in soft electronics or wearable technology.