A new textile fiber has just been developed by MIT. Entirely digital, it will make it possible to create clothes equipped with artificial intelligence, capable of storing information and analyzing physical activities.
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So far, the connected clothes always relied on circuits analog. Researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States have just created the very first digital fiber. Detailed in an article in the journal Nature Communications, it is able to store and process information, as well as to capture and analyze the activities physical.
This fiber of polymer contains tiny electronic chips and temperature sensors linked together. It is thin and flexible enough to be passed through a needle and woven, and can be washed at least ten times. Each chip can be controlled individually, allowing only certain elements to be activated.
Artificial intelligence in a garment
One meter of fiber can store up to 767 kilobits of information for two months without a power supply. The researchers were able to create a neural network containing 1,650 connections, with a temperature sensor integrated into the fiber and placed at the level of the armpit. With prior training, the network was able to determine activity with 96% accuracy.
The researchers also imagine using the fiber to store information, such as the wedding music in the bride’s dress or the history of the making. of a garment. At present, the system needs to be hooked up to a small external device to work, connected to the end of the fiber. The researchers plan to create a new microcontroller that can be integrated directly inside the fiber, thus creating a complete computer.
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