High-Tech Textiles Could Change Construction and Medicine
April 18, 2005
The New York Timesreports that amazing new textiles are coming that can be used in everything from
medical procedures to building cars. The Times
reports that Peter Testa, an architect in Santa Monica, Calif.,
has designed a 40-story skyscraper that could be built
without steel. The Cooper-Hewitt,
National Design Museum currently has an online
exhibit showing the many uses for the high-tech
textiles. The beginning of the New York Times article offers
a glimpse at future uses of extreme textiles:
A knitted bag holds a weakened heart, helping it pump blood. Electricity flows through the threads of a battery-powered fleece jacket, keeping the wearer warm. Carbon fibers are braided into structures that look like mushrooms, but are actually prototypes of automotive engine valves. Other fibers are shaped into bicycle frames and sculling oars.
Textiles are no longer just the stuff of clothing, carpets and furniture covering. Made of high-tech threads, they can also be found in lifesaving medical devices and the bodies of racing cars. One architect is proposing building a skyscraper out of carbon fibers.
