PASSIVE ADAPTIVE SOFT

PASSIVE ADAPTIVE SOFT – SELF-REGULATING, HIGH-PERFORMANCE APPAREL THROUGH BIO-BASED AND HYGRO-RESPONSIVE 4D-PRINTED TEXTILE HYBRIDS

Smart material systems can sense and respond to environmental stimuli (such as temperature and humidity) by changing their shape or other physical properties without relying on electromechanical sensors, actuators or external power supply. These material systems offer a range of novel applications, from weather-responsive architectural façade systems to adaptive wearables and apparel. In recent years, the sportswear and fashion industry has shown increasing interest in smart material technologies. This is reflected in the growing number of startup companies in the field of smart textiles, working on products ranging from active, circuit-embedded textiles to passive, water- or temperature-responsive yarns.

Our vision is to merge passively actuated smart materials and textiles in order to develop smart apparel that can sense and adapt to the human body to enhance comfort level and/or athletic performance. Previous research on humidity-responsive structures through the development of bio-inspired 4D-printing and bio-based material systems has been demonstrated in the Associated Projects AP 1 (Responsive Autonomous Surface Structures), AP 10 (Smarter Smart Materials) and more recently in the context of “Solar Gate”, a weather-responsive façade of the livMatS Biomimetic Shell. In this project, we aim to expand the applications of our developed material and manufacturing technology to high-performance sportswear by integrating soft, moisture-responsive filaments into compatible synthetic fabrics.

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR & PARTICIPATING RESEARCHER

Prof. Achim Menges & Dr.-Ing. Tiffany Cheng
Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD), University of Stuttgart

RESEARCHER

Sujie Park (ICD)

PARTNERS

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Bonten, Institut für Kunststofftechnik (IKT), University of Stuttgart

FUNDING

Knowledge and Technology Transfer (KTT), University of Stuttgart