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Butch Furse
Just when we thought we were keeping up with a changing world it again jumped out ahead of us. We had come to accept such things as a robotic vacuum cleaner, etc. and a future where robots have begun to replace some us in the repetitive job workforce. Now, another “robotic effort” has made an appearance.
There’s a strong indication in the future, our next generation could be wearing “future threads” where robots will one day wind up in our clothing with fabric that’s wired to help.
According to a report in The Washington Post, at university labs across the world material scientists, computer programmers and fabric designers are working to advance at rapid pace inching us closer to reality where clothes we wear help to keep us healthy, or improve our daily life.
Scientists at MIT already fabricated computer programmable robotic threads and battery gels that could be embedded into clothes and power robotic textiles. In the coming decade customers can expect a whole range of offerings such as pants that can help lift elderly or disabled people up; athletic socks that promote blood flow; maternity clothes that could passively track fetal heart rates to improve pregnancy outcomes. One startup company has even built yoga pants that emit vibrations to improve your posture through your smartphone.
We doubt if we will be around long enough to see mass production of robotic clothing because a couple of obstacles that still haven’t been 100-percent solved. There remains a few hurdles for robot fabric designers. Although designers have come up with computer thread that fits through a syringe-size needle, they need to design a thread that can go through the eye of a regular sewing needle, as well as a material that can stand frequent laundry washings.
In the meantime, we’ve resigned ourselves to the fact; “If we’re not sharp enough to operate our smart TV remote, robotic clothing will not be found in our clothes closet.”
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The way gasoline prices have declined the past few weeks we catch ourselves starting to feel gas is cheap.
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Live your life as an exclamation . . . not as an explanation.
RL Furse is publisher emeritus of the News-Register
