To eliminate the need for an external machine, they electronically woven silver wires into the material they used for the STATs. The threads serve as heating elements and sensors for the smart fabric, allowing for the temperature and pressure changes necessary to change the Novec 7000 phase from liquid to vapor and vice versa. The study’s first author, Christopher Payne, explained:
“With an integrated ‘closed loop feedback’ controller, STATs autonomously maintain their pressure even when placed in environments where the outside temperature fluctuates, such as near an air duct that actively cools the system.”
The researchers said they can manufacture the fabric in bulk and with arbitrary geometries, giving it a host of potential applications. It could be used in mechanotherapeutic clothing devices that could apply pressure to the injuries and accelerate tissue repair, for example. It could also be used in responsive cushions to help prevent bed and wheelchair sores, and perhaps even in creating dynamic garments for cutting-edge fashion shows.
