A fabric that smells better with sweat

A team of researchers at the University of Minho in Portugal recently revealed a new type of fabric that smells better with sweat.

Outlined in the most recent edition of the ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces journal, the fabric is ‘designed’ to diffuse a citronella scent when it gets in contact with sweat – it smells better the more one perspires.

Developed with a protein found in the noses of pigs and a carbohydrate binding module that results in an odorant-binding protein, the fabric is envisioned to be a game changer in the active-wear apparel sectors owing to its aromatic benefits.

The project’s proponents also note that apart from smelling good, citronella also has mosquito repelling properties – which give the fabric built-in deodorizing feature and a potential alternative insect repellant as well.

The development of the fabric stems from processes that entail the embedding of scents into fabrics, only tweaked and fine-tuned to fit with specific conditions. More information on the project is available on the ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces journal.

A contact lens that zooms when you blink

A new type of contact lens is outlined in the most recent issue of the University of California San Diego’s Advanced Functional Materials journal that has zooming-in properties that can be activated when one blinks.

Detailed in a paper titled “A Biomimetic Soft Lens Controlled by Electrooculographic Signal,” the contact lens is designed with polymer film layers that contracts or expands based on commands when the wearer double blinks.

The project takes after the development of a similar contact lens that was developed by European researchers in 2013 – only more enhanced as it can be ‘controlled’ where to zoom by a wearer, based on where he or she looks: either up, down, to the left or right.

Still under development, the lens is envisioned to be a type of advanced visual prosthesis, apart from being an advanced type of input system for remote robotics operations.