Self-powering fabric controls electronic devices

The advance by Purdue University researchers is also claimed to be waterproof and stain resistant.

"It is the first time there is a technique capable to transform any existing cloth item or textile into a self-powered e-textile containing sensors, music players or simple illumination displays using simple embroidery without the need for expensive fabrication processes requiring complex steps or expensive equipment," said Ramses Martinez, an assistant professor in the School of Industrial Engineering and in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering in Purdue's College of Engineering. The technology is featured in Advanced Functional Materials.

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"For the first time, it is possible to fabricate textiles that can protect you from rain, stains, and bacteria while they harvest the energy of the user to power textile-based electronics," Martinez said in a statement. "These self-powered e-textiles also constitute an important advancement in the development of wearable machine-human interfaces.”