Computing Fabrics

“It’s exciting to really change the aesthetics of technology,” says Yoel Fink, who teaches the course, "Computing Fabrics," to students from MIT and elsewhere. The class explores the history and future of fabrics, including next-gen textiles that will be beautiful and functional in entirely new ways.
Watch more videos from MIT: www.youtube.com...
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is an independent, coeducational, privately endowed university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Our mission is to advance knowledge; to educate students in science, engineering, technology, humanities and social sciences; and to tackle the most pressing problems facing the world today. We are a community of hands-on problem-solvers in love with fundamental science and eager to make the world a better place.
The MIT KZbin channel features videos about all types of MIT research, including the robot cheetah, LIGO, gravitational waves, mathematics, and bombardier beetles, as well as videos on origami, time capsules, and other aspects of life and culture on the MIT campus. Our goal is to open the doors of MIT and bring the Institute to the world through video.

[@funnyturtles8954]

when they said that MIT classes were free I was thinking stuff like this would be like a masterclass on youtube

[@mudkip_btw]

This is a promotional video. There are many free MIT lectures available. I personally learnt a lot from the MIT Quantum Mechanics courses.

[@nigel-uno]

Lol you want to learn to use a wooden loom and bend a metal wire into a wool sweater? You're wasting your time but at least you didn't pay thousands of dollars like these Gen Z suckers that fell for this scam textile degree.

[@MrThonny15]

Super cool. Have been following this field for years now and unfortunately I'm yet to see a really meaningful use case. Hope to be surprised soon :)

[@danielharris8917]

did you share share with us

[@nigel-uno]

All they're doing is sewing in metal wires and China produced sensors into traditional textiles. The clothing of the future should not rely on fabrics grown on farms using exploitive labor. We have nanoscience, nanomaterials and biomaterials and these dumb kids decide to use tax payer subsidized education for a scam textile degree.

[@Vaeldarg]

There's a clear use case when it comes to VR, with the need for body tracking/sensory feedback. There's also the ability to build adaptivity in so that clothing can respond to temperature/moisture levels. There's also some designs for astronauts to be able to wear something that through resistance/pressure, can help mitigate some effects of living in zero-g. So, there have been a few ideas already making the rounds when it comes to adaptive/dynamic fabric material.

[@cryora]

I'm imagining people wearing a computer / power bank wherever they go that can hook up to different clothing to power and control its features, that way it can be an integrated system that is more than a sum of its parts. A hood that puts itself on. Sleeves that roll up or down. Cords, ties, ribbons that tie themselves. Face masks that cover or uncover. Two-sided fabric that turns over for a different color or look. Clothes that can instantly made to look completely different - might be good for espionage. Bags that open and close themselves. Clothes that can change sizes or fits. Skirts that can lengthen or shorten. Swimwear that can transform into a flotation device. These probably wouldn't be everyday clothes that are meant to be cheap, but would make sense for fashion / luxury focused articles meant to last a while, or for people who want to go that extra mile for self-expression. Definitely a lot of applications for cosplay and magic performance.

[@LimitedWard]

I can see this being most useful in the medical industry, monitoring the health of patients via wearable fabric sensors. Also could be really useful in the fitness industry. Imagine a set of workout clothes that analyzes your form when performing exercises and ties into an app on your phone to give you tips on how to improve.

[@EyesOfByes]

Not to cry wolf… but I wouldnt wanna wear a hackable smartscarf. You know remote strangeling 😏

[@shalonichauhan5340]

YES 😏

[@sznikers]

2035: google shirt analyses all your movements and sweat composition live. Then pushes pharmaceutical ads straight to your retina (through your google glasses) every time it detects you angry/stressed/depressed. And that may not even be a joke but forecast ^_^ Facebook already did trials of detecting and altering users emotional states few years ago.

[@Siranoxz]

Don´t give psychopaths ideas..

[@SparkyOne549]

As a sewer, there are pros and cons concerning my hobby. I am a seamstress, for myself and family. I do repurpose clothing, to be sustainable. I don’t see how this new fabric could be repurposed, unless you are an electrician. The other concern, is what happens when the electronics in the clothing stops working, does it get thrown out? How would this be sustainable? This concept would be fine for furnishings, but not clothing.

[@hpekristiansen]

"thrown out" is not everywhere as in the USA just dumped in nature(landfills). The biodegradable component the clothing will still be just as environmental friendly as before. When enough clothing is made with smart components, this clothing will become a garbage category in itself. The clothing can be processed to create heat and electricity and metals can be recycled. All of this can and will need to be done with sustainable energy and without emitting toxins.

[@SparkyOne549]

@@hpekristiansen I was looking for an intelligent answer from MIT, not what you think is fact.

[@hpekristiansen]

@@SparkyOne549 Good luck being a bitch and at the same time expecting answers

[@nigel-uno]

This textile degree is a scam and is set to worsen single use waste. If you want futuristic and tech embedded clothing, go into nanoscience and nanomaterials. Biomaterials is also promising. I genuinely feel sorry for these kids duped into a useless degree. Wasting their MIT university education learning to sew metal wires into wool with a wooden loom, FFS it's 2022.

[@nigel-uno]

@@hpekristiansen If you want biodegradable clothing, go into biomaterials. This degree featured is an absolute scam.

[@chaoyangchen5983]

They better make that waterproof. I'm not prepared to be shocked when it rains.

[@zedfalcon6972]

but... what does it do though

[@huyphan9283]

As much as I love these videos, they hurt me more thinking about my MIT rejection letter 😢

[@cartoonsong193]

Same here

[@ManFromTheFizz]

All that matters is your future career. Going where the scene is, MIT isn't the only place in America with leading edge engineers. Plenty of other amazing colleges out there with friends and experiences you could never have at MIT.

[@Excalibur32]

Would have appreciated some more examples of specific projects, like the wavy electrode inside the elastomer strand.

[@TomHutchinson5]

"So what we're doing is converting the fabric from just being what it has always been to something that plays a very meaningful role in our lives" I would push back on this a bit. Fabric already plays a meaningful role in our lives. These new technology additions are an extremely modest potential improvement to something already full of value, meaning, and technology. It's OK for tech to play a small supporting role in something much bigger.

[@bios546]

Reminds me of the animw movie Maquia. Tge Iorph people in thw movie used fabric for recording their history and also used it for communication with one another - like encrypted letters.

[@timtreichel3161]

Am I the only one who thinks that Prof. Fink is overestimating/over-dramatizing this whole thing. Maybe I just don't have the necessary imagination. But lets say you get to the point, where you can integrate some kind of CPU chip into your fabric, lets say your chest: Iron-Man style (which probably would be the whole chip in silicon) and you can connect it with some kind of battery (lets say those fancy fibers) within your clothing. Then you still need some kind of UI, which would need some kind of (Touch)-Screen, lets say its an fabric integrated touch screen in your sleeve. Lets say you build this thing, it works and it doesn't fry you when you get wet during rain. Why would I use this instead of a smartphone. Maybe there are some unique applications where some fancy electrical/smart/whatever fibers can be incredible useful, but I really don't see it in our clothes. Honestly making, simple, more durable, fair, affordable clothing would be 100 times more useful in terms of clothing, when the average T-shirt gets destroyed, thrown away after 10 times use, while costing 1 $, because humans are working under horrible conditions in Asia. And what is this introduction "People today have to almost choose between aesthetics, beauty and technology. They are orthogonal to each other ... " Am I the only one who thinks that this not true at all ? I mean one definition of aesthetic is "concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty". How is this orthogonal to beautiful. Its parallel.

[@lucasfc4587]

It’s all a promotion, it seems the only real use for this will be in status, being used as a luxury item. It doesn’t have enough application, because if you change clothes, that’s it. Overdramatized for sure

[@AmaltheaVimes]

100% My constant question, is, "Why?" Maybe for specific medical or manufacturing usages... but not as clothing. As you said, we are already being pathetic with our throw-away $1 t-shirts made by slave labor in terrible conditions (ah yes, we will, rightfully so, go on about how Fido and Kitty must have access to the garden, but still go buy our $1 tshirts, made by unlucky children/ppl somewhere in the world). Tech just gets to race forward at whatever pace, no matter the cost, all for the lust of ego and greed. Sure, this is all really interesting - textiles, tech, but like, I'd personally really love to be able to go buy clothes that will last years, made of wool, linen, silk, etc. A lot of this new tech, they come up with ideas, throw money at them, and don't even know what to use them for (coughblockchainbitcoinbros). Also, we humans WOULD have choice in fashion, IF we didn't just blindly accept the garbage the fashion companies offer us! oooh, tshirt and bluejeans (or, in the US - flip flops and PJs.....), so creative. As boring as the soulless glass and cement buildings being built everywhere since the second world war.

[@vishalsivakumar3860]

You're right but here is my take as I studied about these, this come under ubiquitous computing, where the branch wants to integrate technology in day today uses, where you don't know actually you're using tech but use it anyway, like wearing shirt, trousers nobody tells it to you but you do it as a habit.. so if a shirt is able to do some useful thing like detecting abnormal sounds from stomach or say heart rate anomaly, it does that and notifies.. although there are smart watches which are already ubiquitous, these kind of clothing are dedicated to limited applications in its reach.. one example which I think of is using energy harvesting to power the clothing like say you're generating power from you own movements say from your shoe where you have a piezoelectric sensor ( which generates energy from vibration or stress during your movement), now you employ this energy into your clothing and detect hear rate or sound anomaly, and use a BLE( Bluetooth) to send it to your personal device daily to track record everything..

[@kedusyared6589]

Nice this is innovation and think outside the box. Love to see it!

[@pfever]

Please, make this class publicly available, I have been interested in this topic for years but I cannot find much information available

[@joshmaxwell8767]

It's really frustrating to see these kinds of videos because they end up being full of stylish shots but don't do the actual subject justice. The whole content of this video is "run that capacitance demo on the arduino again and pretend you're working on something".

[@cleo6205]

Natural fabric is beautiful.

[@Shadow__133]

Nice, now I'll be able to wear my social media and youtube 24/7. 6+ hours a day isn't enough...

[@AraCarrano]

Start by announcing the collaboration in the title, that way the wire striping b-roll makes more sense.

[@yash1152]

hmm??

[@timothylopez8572]

If we could use this for vascular shunt tech, we could expand a vessel and allow a blockage to release, then immediately collapse the shunt and capture the obstacle for removal.

[@vik0_052]

Damn this class looks so interesting

[@valeriecarpentier6384]

Is the self drying jacket finally coming?

[@Shreyaagrawal_1657]

This is soo fascinating

[@babu_moshai]

Its gonna be blow everybody's mind good job 👍

[@M_Sonata]

The A24 sticker at 2:49 adds more joy to this video.

[@autumnrain7626]

whats a24 mean?

[@youngmilly5694]

@@autumnrain7626 big budget indie film company.

[@prasanna3378]

Get ready for next Spidy Suit. 😎🕷🕸

[@paulatreides9806]

lol yeah

[@goodboy4464]

Please share use cases and examples of deployment.

[@XCSme]

I don't think textiles should be more than they are (clothes). They are already hard enough to care for, wash, make fire-proof, cheap enough to produce, recycle, repurpose, etc.

[@paulatreides9806]

well idk think humans were meant to be more than just hunters and gatherers but here we are :/

[@XCSme]

@@paulatreides9806 But that is evolution with a purpose, this is just for the sake of trying something new. People are already hating on smart appliances (smart toasters, smart fridges, etc.). Maybe those textiles will be useful in other domains, but definitely not in clothing.

[@agnelomascarenhas8990]

The scales of fish, reptiles, bird feathers, mammal fur I believe are the same material but mutations have allowed these animals to adapt this material for very divergent functions.

[@nigel-uno]

Correct. Nanomaterials and using AI designed biomaterials are the future; not sewing a wavy metal wire into a wool sweater. Poor kids wasting their lives and money on this scam degree.

[@rishabhkhatri]

MIT is becoming more of a film making school then a research school.

[@kapoosa1]

only talking like typical mba. i could find anything interesting in this video

[@niceengine2571]

I don't want smart clothes I want high tech clothes that can do things. First would be temperature modulation. I want clothes that can be cool when they need to be and warm me up if it suddenly becomes cold. Self cleaning etc would also be nice too.

[@quarepercutisproximum9582]

Smart clothes are the first step, then

[@stickynorth]

A cool look into the possible future of fashion! Love it and well done!

[@stickynorth]

Apple iShirt... Coming 2029! ;-)

[@nigel-uno]

You mean the future of fast fashion coming to a landfill near you. Biomaterials and nanomaterials should be the focus if the goal is futuristic clothing. Sewing metal wires and Chinese motion sensors into wool makes nearly impossible to recycle and is also technology that's been possible for decades if not centuries.

[@SomenathGarai]

Basically Batman Begins

[@daruiraikage]

its been 1:49 minutes and you've still not got to the point of what this tech actually is and what it does. You literally repeated the same thing till this point multiple times. Stop gaming the algorithm and respect your viewers' time

[@godbodyrock]

i find this sector FASCINATING and look forward to more opportunities...

[@Gigachad2048]

Memory cloth cape from batman

[@sarahkhan5412]

Can someday explain me in detail about this project?

[@MasterCivilEngineering]

Amazing video 💯

[@stiki123]

Why the coffee filters still?

[@icantfindausernamehe]

Great work. By the way the Arduino board created by a student for students is earth-shattering when you first use it.

[@codingWorld709]

Congratulations MIT, 💓💓🇮🇳🇮🇳

[@HustleHeadquarters]

Will there be a setting on our washing machines?

[@Thehappiesthiccup]

We’re one step closer to having a sentient scarf

[@user-tp9kq8gr8h]

"Well, we all know an apple box is quite a worn-out tool", a women spoke while sipping her tea, "I gave an sweater from apple as a birthday present to my son-in-law. It seems he didn't like it because it was too rosy." She soon broke down in tears and said, "Did I know it would come to this, just because of that?"

[@tauseef8759]

COMPUTING FABRICS=XPRESSIONS 🍊💐

[@meipia1608]

Imagine your scarf starts choking you out because you forgot to wash it

[@Scrogan]

Ok but where can I buy a textile-compatible strain sensor? I’ve been looking for elastomers with varying electrical resistance, but I’m coming up blank aside from occasional research papers. Virtual reality gloves could be a lot cheaper if we just had little strands of rubber going down each finger hooked up to an ADC, for example.

[@zefellowbud5970]

This reminds me of how our moon landing computers were some kind of woven wire and magnet array. I wonder if such a system would return in the near future with these electronic textiles?

[@deepmistry1515]

This program is amazing, i need to contribute. How can I connect with the team in the video?

[@samvictor217]

at least, we will have superhero suit, but with no power though

[@ullaskunder]

WOW.....

[@Rookie0X]

This is like from movie the tuxedo.

[@narutouzumaki3548]

sustainability should be a focus area as well

[@BsktImp]

You would hope we would have learnt from past endeavours and, instead of perhaps tagging it on as an afterthought or blindly hoping other disciplines may come up with answers, as the _starting point_ and at _each developmental stage_ assess and fundamentally programme in sustainability. When they choose a fabric or energy source have they evaluated multidimensional cross-paradigmatic meta-scaled full-life cycle impact and risk assessments of their choices?

[@helms6561]

Y’all are three steps away from computational/morphing composite structures. Have a doped fabric or some sort of thermoplastic matrix with this tech. This leads to morphing wings for aircraft. -looks amazing!

[@helms6561]

To follow up on that idea - they are doing not only fabrics with tailored stiffness, but now having a dynamic/controllable or movable stiffness to the structure! -this is actually pretty amazing and go into almost any industry!

[@pranaybarai6185]

fascinating

[@BicycleFunk]

Very cool!

[@nsudam]

Awesome 👍👍👍

[@math4fun]

I always wanna plug an USB in the corner of my bed clotches!

[@anchalgera2505]

Great Research work in MIT, Try to share more , many students are highly intrested in INDIA , collaboration or some small research centres makes research work and technology global, advanced technology is for civilization but Sharing more , collaborating more will be great. For the students of MIT, you are the future, you are currently working with most efficient instruments and gain a lot of experience , SHARE IT! SHARE IT!

[@Bubbamacomb]

Wonderful

[@weekendresearcher]

Charles babbage analytical machine was inspired by looms of the textile industry and ada lovelace took it on with programming..great to see a full circle where computing meets textile again 👍

[@karmaa9179]

Will this be available on edx?

[@hikistark_]

Awesome work

[@briefcasecrisp9737]

THIS IS SO COOL

[@kshitijjagtap356]

random work being done...random words,,,ahhh,yess intelligence

[@gauravbansal2438]

What about washing them ?

[@chandru9133]

One word to destroy the concept - Wash. How many times have you washed the fabrics that you're using for the POC?

[@greenbeecolony1911]

Pretty cool

[@titleatptitleinsertcoordin3701]

I could imagine wearing a mouse instead of holding one

[@96x26]

1975: "I bet there will be flying cars in the future" 2022: "Finally we reinvent knitting....with wires!"

[@AbhinavSafi]

I can imagine they can convert into bullet proof clothes, to fly , rollable ball. A bag can be full of instrument. I have to just imagine what you can make.

[@Shadow__133]

It will probably end up used as a sex shop item.

[@devismarkam3871]

Looks like Spider-man's suit from homecoming

[@NightBeyondVeil]

Bruce: Does it come in black?

[@ManishSingh-dj3ds]

1:00 just curious to know which simulation software she is using?

[@penn_robotics]

Rhino 3d

[@ManishSingh-dj3ds]

@@penn_robotics Thank you

[@DS-xg9kf]

Such useful fabric yet unable to name a single use for it.

[@OXygenNewsShorts]

Superbb

[@puduhari1]

runners / dogs / cycles can use it to light them at night.

[@ullaskunder]

MIT => 😍;

[@frunomaol5069]

Plain English please.

[@jyothsnakandarp]

at a certain stage tis could be handed over to the bio technological team to have its uses incorporated into medical field. looking forward for this kind of applcation

[@alexcostamartins6939]

wow

[@MechanicalNib]

🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@keshkumar7851]

This is far-fetched but imagine in the future if you are choking and your jumper can do the Heimlich manoeuvre on you,I know sounds stupid,but their must be thousands of applications for this technology ,maybe we just haven’t thought of it yet. Or imagine you gained some weight or lost some weight and your clothes no longer fit you ,could simply press a button under the clothing which would make it shrink and fit your body. Or imagine a cast on your arm held in place by a electrical current and when the cast is ready to come off you simply press it and it dissipates back into its normal cloth shape. Man I’m bursting with ideas.

[@basicduck]

Spacesuit tech

[@markj7913]

the tuxedo jackie chan vibes

[@Makes_me_wonder]

The clothes are gonna trigger metal detectors and probably get banned for civilian use.

[@lucasfc4587]

I’m sorry, but so much brain power in basically people trying to feel like they live in Back to the Future?? This won’t ever be the norm or helpful enough for the cost. Fast fashion is already pilling tons of garbage, we don’t need complex systems in clothes. I don’t understand why there are so many people into this if not for the pragmatic knowledge, this is stupid to think about before we are at an state of perfection in our societies

[@kummer45]

This may work in architecture for certain facades. But the cost of production exceeds the longevity and service of the product. Form follows function, always when we talk about clothing. These classes are good but it feels like a subterfuge. Is it refreshing? Yes, eclectic ideas and methods of technology reviews history. Other than that there is not much to do.

[@realkk]

Don't mind me. I am just knitting a computer.

[@agnelomascarenhas8990]

Fun fact : mainframe memories used to be woven from metal wire and magnetic cores.

[@realkk]

@@agnelomascarenhas8990 interesting. Thanks for sharing

[@omsingharjit]

So , fiber will expose your privacy on socal networking ..

[@jwebstersmithii7459]

Eventually we will be able to mimic fabrics and 3D print them. You'll download your clothes from designers, and print them at home. Anyhow, I'm looking to join the MIT xPRO AR VR Program in November. However, I have no money. Do you have any kind of programs for people like me. Perhaps businesses looking to invest in that tech, looking to sponsor designers/artists. Trade a little time and energy for them. Or, if not I could work for you (MIT) and create content for your channel. Let me know if you might be interested.

[@taukirsheikh9405]

finally i can be flash or iron man

[@dadsonworldwide3238]

Home ec can return to public education without stigma lol

[@kaptenluffy4518]

Are you guys studying Jackie Chan Tuxedo???🤔🤔

[@kaptenluffy4518]

Are guys studying Jackie Chan Tuxedo???🤔🤔

[@starman62akshaykumar]

👍🏻

[@ronaldli5]

This is not only useless but it's 5 mins of talking without actually saying anything meaningful.

[@emmanuelameyaw9735]

😀😀good marketing...thats all. Next, computational agriculture. Opps....it already exist.

[@kapoosa1]

only talking, no demonstration or any example.

[@ibrahimtech1581]

It isn't practical. What if you stain it drinking coffee at Starbucks. Will i have to get a whole new fabric or will it be wash proof?

[@ibrahimtech1581]

Nonetheless a cool idea.

[@nigel-uno]

It's a complete waste of time to learn about sewing in wires into traditional textiles. Do any of these people understand the life cycle of these traditional textiles? Skip this outdated trash and learn nanoscience, nanomaterials or biomaterials. Our clothes of tomorrow should not shrink in the wash and need to farmed off animals.

[@armacham]

If you want the government to put every inch of your skin under surveillance, you're going to love this fabric. It is very important that we give total control over our skin to the government, or else another J6 could happen. If even 1 inch of a person's skin is disloyal to the government, it puts our entire society at risk.

[@armacham]

Why do gays in tech go straight for the technologies that can be used to put us into a surveillance state panopticon? If only straight people were allowed to have graduate degrees, think of how much better a place the world would be.

[@bluesir2210]

looks like a work belongs to the future

[@nigel-uno]

People have been sewing metal wires to make light up clothes for hundreds of years. You're just uneducated. The future is in nanomaterials and AI designed biomaterials not sewing metal wires into wool that still needs to be grown off animals.