News and Updates
May 2024
MIT Spectrum
by Ken Shulman
Weaving a Web of Textile Research
“In the summer of 2023, Irmandy Wicaksono used a weave of recycled polyester yarn and conductive yarn sensors to build the Living Network Pavilion—a large-scale tent structure with lighting and visual patterns that respond in real time to human movement and sunlight—at Burning Man, an annual gathering of innovators and artists held in the Nevada desert.”
March 2023
Franklin Institute Docuseries
The Road to 2050
“This 6-part documentary series takes a closer look at what the next three decades could bring, using science as our guide. With expert insights from 32 of the world's top innovators, engineers, and science communicators , we'll explore everything from environmental challenges to energy innovations, daily life, health and wellness, transportation, and off-world expansion.”
February 2023
Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, Create the Future Podcast
The Future of Knitting and Crafting
Does knitting qualify as engineering? How do we break down gender barriers between 'crafts' and 'science'? What's the future of wearable technology?.
Roma Agrawal - author and structural engineer for the construction of The Shard - chairs a discussion about the innovations and ancient wisdoms to be found in Arts & Crafts. Roma's guests are materials scientist Dr Anna Ploszajski and electronic textiles researcher Irmandy Wicaksono
July 2022
World Economic Forum
Digital knitting and smart socks could change injury rehabilitation
“Researchers created a 'smart' shoe and matt and built a machine-learning system that predicted the motions and poses of an individual standing on the smart textile mat with high accuracy. This scalable, digital knitting technology could have many applications, especially in health care and rehabilitation.”
November 2021
Domus Magazine
Domus 1062
The November issue of Domus 1062 outlines possible narratives for imagining a new future. In his editorial, Guest Editor Tadao Ando reflects on the visionary power of the “unbuilt” projects of yesterday and today.
March 2024
Sursuma Magazine
by Lutica Sutej
Smart Textiles with Irmandy Wicaksono
“If you look at my projects, they span from the scale of a shoe or a scarf, to architectural objects. Essentially, my work revolves around making electronics or printed circuits more soft and flexible”
February 2024
Advanced Textiles Association
by Janet Preus
AI and textiles: it’s already here
Researchers share their insights on the possibilities with artificial intelligence in the textile industry.
January 2025
Soft Technologies Lab
We’re recruiting!
The Soft Technologies Lab at the National University of Singapore (stl.NUS) is seeking new students and researchers in 2025 & 2026, eager in crossing disciplines and equipped in pushing the boundaries between soft matter, the internet-of-things, and their human and nature-centric applications.