higher education

SMART FABRICS?

MIT-backed programme to support smart fabric entrepreneurs

Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) has partnered with a mentoring programme at the nearby Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to support the next generation of smart fabric entrepreneurs.

AFFOA was created in 2016 with over $300 million in funding from the US and regional governments. Its aim is to develop new fabrics and fibre-based products. To this end, in June 2017 it opened an advanced fabrics headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

What are advanced fabrics? They do not know nor does anyone else!

Its partnership with MIT has resulted in the launch of the Advanced Fabrics Entrepreneurship Programme (AFEP). Those taking part in this year-long programme will have access to AFFOA’s advanced prototyping resources and to VMS’ mentoring expertise and educational services.

I wonder if any of the people mentoring the students have any knowledge of fabrics to begin with!

Its aim is to help early-stage entrepreneurs to get new commercial ventures off the ground. It will include workshops, lectures, networking events, one-on-one mentoring and other activities around the MIT campus.

How about putting them in existing factories that actually make fiber, spin fiber or weave fiber versus a dead end location!

The first 24 entrepreneurial teams began the programme this month. Among their ideas are: printed stretchable batteries; a smart bra that can detect early signs of heart disease; undergarments for soldiers that detect trauma and activate a tourniquet; and translucent athletic shoes.

In line with a key pillar of AFFOA’s mission, all participants in AFEP must agree to manufacture only in the US.

Who is left for them to go to that still manufacture in the U.S.?

The above article has been reprinted from “SPORTTEXTILE” (ST) on line publication.

The following information is reprinted from the AFFOA’s web site.

Advanced Functional Fabrics of America

Our clothes help define us yet the fabrics we wear have remained functionally unchanged for thousands of years. Recent breakthroughs in fiber materials and manufacturing processes will soon allow us to design and wear fabrics that see, hear, sense, communicate, store and convert energy, regulate temperature, monitor health and change color — heralding the dawn of a “fabric revolution.”

AFFOA will enable a domestic manufacturing-based revolution by transforming traditional fibers, yarns, and fabrics into highly sophisticated, integrated and networked products and systems. MOORE'S LAW FOR FIBERS - Fibers that have the functionality of semiconductor devices, yet are produced at fiber lengths, uniformity and cost. FABRICS AS A SERVICE - Fabrics that see, hear, sense, communicate, store and convert energy, regulate temperature, monitor health, and change color.

Moore's Law for Fibers

Fabrics that see, hear, sense, communicate, store and convert energy, regulate temperature, monitor health and change color -- heralding the dawn of a Fabric Revolution

Moore's law refers to an observation made by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore in 1965. He noticed that the number of transistors per square inch on integrated circuits had doubled every year since their invention. Moore's law predicts that this trend will continue into the foreseeable future.

 Someone at AFFOA has determined that Moore’s Law applies to textiles. It does not make sense to me but what do I know.

The initial article from ST notes that over $300 million has come from government. Many years ago the US experienced an oil embargo from the Arab countries (1973) so the US government initiated a synthetic fuels program. My father in law was the senior organization consultant at IBM and IBM volunteered Del to oversee the program. For 6 months I believe he was in Washington D.C. three days a week. After it ended I think and he ended his time over seeing the program he told me he had never seen a more gross waste of money in his life. I have no idea how much he was referring too, but I am sure it was in the millions. The $300 million and more being spent on this program, not invested in my opinion will be equally wasted.

Smart fabrics do not exist!!! Fabric is made from inanimate fiber; it could be cotton, wool, hemp, polyester, nylon, rayon and who knows what else. Fabric is NOT a living entity so it cannot acquire knowledge. Fabric is inanimate!!!

What knowledge do the students have of fibers and fabrics to begin with? NONE!Are any of these entrepreneurs capable of starting a business especially a fiber producing or weaving business? NONE!

These young people have grandiose ideas or so that is how the article represents those making stretchable batteries, etc. I particularly would like to know who thought up the automatic tourniquet and translucent athletic shoes. In a phase these are “hair brained ideas”.

AFF0A goes even further with their ideas of what can be accomplished with the in animate fabrics. The only thing that I see with respect to heralding anything is the dawn of the stupid at AFFOA and MIT.

I thought that education in America had gone downhill in government schools but I was wrong it has gone downhill in the supposed institutions of higher learning as well.Who at MIT has substantial knowledge of fabrics and fibers that are actually being used in industry today? Do they know if a fabric can actually be changed to do as they would like? NO!!! Well it can’t be!

AFFOA will not be able to enable domestic manufacturing-based revolution to occur because there is almost none today. AFFOA and MIT are dreaming of ways to make sure they continue to get government funding in my opinion.

Did you ever hear the phrase “COTTON IS KING” well this has been the case for maybe 10,000 years and that is not going to change. Wool is not far behind it and it will continue to occupy second place and then we have all of the synthetics behind them. People will try as they may to make electrically charged materials that they think will be successful, but will fail. People will continue to make synthetic insulations that they think will perform as well as Lamilite (Climashield) but they too will continue to fail as they have been doing for as long as continuous filament fiber has been used.

Government has very creative ways to waste money and that applies to this program