FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Design

Turn Your Clothes Into Wearable Computers With Graphene

A new graphene-based material, GraphExeter, could revolutionize wearable technology.

You’ve got a touchscreen phone, a touchscreen tablet, now you can have a touchscreen on your t-shirt with a new material created by researchers at the University of Exeter. Most of us have heard of a substance called graphene, a conductive material that’s one atom thick but stronger than diamond and is set to revolutionize everything from computers to, well, t-shirts.

Researchers have adapted graphene into something they call GraphExeter (I see what they did there) which they say is the most transparent, lightweight and flexible material ever invented for conducting electricity. This means it could be used to make clothing containing computers and other electronic equipment, along with making objects like windows and mirrors “smart.” A spray-on version is also being created which could be applied straight onto the aforementioned objects.

Dr Monica Craciun, lead researcher on the project, says, "GraphExeter could revolutionize the electronics industry. It outperforms any other carbon-based transparent conductor used in electronics and could be used for a range of applications, from solar panels to 'smart' t-shirts. We are very excited about the potential of this material and look forward to seeing where it can take the electronics industry in the future."

We are too.

[via PSFK]

@stewart23rd