一、新布料新在哪里
中国科学家团队开发了一种新型布料，能够像智能手机一样，提供通信、导航、医疗和安全方面的应用。这种高科技服装可以提高骑车人、驾车人和应急人员的安全。拂一下袖子就能在手臂上瞬间显示出一张 "纺织地图"。由太阳能提供动力，该布料将导电和发光纤维与棉花相结合。
A new fabric developed by a Chinese team of scientists that works like a smartphone could have applications in communications, navigation, healthcare, and safety.
The hi-tech garment could improve safety for cyclists, motorists, and emergency responders. For instance, the brush of a sleeve could display a ‘textile map’ on their arm—in an instant.Powered by solar energy, it combines conductive and luminescent fibers with cotton.
实现可穿戴技术的突破已经说了很多年了，但创建与功能系统集成的大型显示器一直是个挑战。上海复旦大学的研究人员用一种近20英尺长、10英寸宽的显示织物，令人惊叹地克服了这个问题。团队的领导者，复旦大学高分子科学与先进材料实验室的彭慧胜教授，上个月在《自然》杂志上描述这种新型电子纺织品：“这种布具有灵活性、透气性和耐用性，会受到现实中人们的喜欢。”他表示：“传统的固态材料不容易与纺织品兼容，因为它们难以承受织物在磨损和洗涤时发生的自然变形。”“我们的布料集成了一个触摸感应的织物键盘和可以收集太阳能的电源。”
Wearable technology has been promised for years, but creating large displays integrated with functional systems has proved challenging.
The researchers at Fudan University in Shanghai overcame this issue spectacularly with a display fabric almost 20 feet long and 10 inches wide.
“It’s integrated with a touch-sensitive fabric keyboard and power supply that harvests solar energy,” he added.
二、新布料有未来吗？
在实验中，这种电子纺织品可以充当导航工具，显示交互式地图。它还可以通过与智能手机的蓝牙连接发送或提取信息进行通信。彭教授表示，显示器是由发光单元制造的，而发光单元形成于导电纤维和发光纤维在织物上的接触点处。它们经受了1000次的弯曲、拉伸和挤压后仍表现良好，并且这些发光单元的亮度在经过100次洗涤和干燥后，仍保持稳定。
随着更多功能的整合，这种“智能织物”有望成为下一代电子通信工具。
In experiments, the electronic textile worked as a navigation tool showing an interactive map. It also performed communications by sending or retrieving messages via a Bluetooth connection with a smartphone.
With the addition of more applications it’s expected to shape the next generation of electronic communication tools.
该团队首先研制了两种发光纤维——一种涂有活性材料，另一种透明且具有弹性。他们将二者编织成纱线，制成了具有高度柔韧性的显示织物，并在三个典型应用中进行了演示。
彭教授称：“这种显示织物不仅仅是概念。我们可以低成本大规模生产，并且已经提供给相关公司了。我认为它们将在今年，至少不晚于明年，就正式开始应用。”无论是对公共部门还是私营部门来说，它的潜力都是巨大的。警察或道路工人可以在晚上穿戴，以确保安全。
该团队甚至设想这种技术能够将脑电波转化为衣服上的信号，这对那些语言障碍者很有用。
“They are not just conceptions. In fact, we can produce such display textiles at large scale with low cost,” said Peng. “We are already providing them to companies. I think they will start to be used this year—at least, no later than next year.”The potential is vast—both for the public and private sector. Policemen or road workers can wear them at night to be safer.
The team even envisions this being able to convert brain waves into signals on the clothes, which would be useful for people who cannot speak.
未来，这种“智能织物”有望在通信、导航、医疗、可穿戴、物联网等领域得到广泛应用。许多过去存在于人们想象中的场景，有望在不远的将来变为现实。
编译 | 陈雨昕 周诗嘉 王嘉誉 刘海燕
排版 | 王嘉誉