Top TechTop Tech #71: Synthetic webs, 3D fabric, WiFi power
Important innovations in science and technology, every day
By Paul Worthington
Today’s Top Tech:
• Scientists succeed in synthesizing spider silk
• Electroloom 3D Fabric
• Power via WiFi
Scientists succeed in synthesizing spider silk
If you’ve ever gotten snagged in a spider web — especially the more tenacious ones made by a black widow — you know how tough the natural silk can be. (Reportedly 5–10x as strong as steel.)
Now developers have at long last succeeded in synthesizing the material.
“Insects and spiders have the ability to produce natural silk fibers with remarkable properties including high tensile strength, elasticity, durability and softness,” says Bolt Threads. “We are developing new technology to replicate this amazing silk production process sustainably on a very large scale.”
The Emeryville, California-based company has raised $40 million, and claims its bacteria-based building process generates webbing it can use for clothing and other output that is “100 percent protein… We study silk proteins found in nature to determine what gives them their incredible properties. We develop proteins inspired by these natural silks by putting genes into yeast. We produce the protein in large quantities through fermentation, using yeast, sugar and water.”
They add that the technology “is programmable. That means we can tune our fabrics to deliver specific benefits.”
Arachnophobes relax: No actual spiders are involved in the process.
TechCrunch and Wired report on the company here.
Electroloom 3D Fabric
Want to make your own futuristic fabrics? Start-up Electroloomsays its “electrospinning process, dubbed Field Guided Fabrication, makes it possible for anyone with a small bit of CAD ability to design and create seamless fabric items on demand.”
The company is kickstarting a “3D fabric printer” it hopes will “open the world of fashion design and manufacturing to everyone.”
You can see an overview video on their Kickstarter page here.
TechCrunch covers the develops here.
Power via WiFi
Recently there’s been news of technology that can harvest power from stray WiFi or cellular transceiver signals — and now comes the development of directly beaming energy via WiFi to a wireless camera or other device.
Scientists at the University of Washington in Seattle tested their technique in six households, powering gadgets using only a standard router. “Over 24 hours, the devices were powered solely by the router’s signal, which also continued to provide wireless internet access to the home? Technology Review reports.
The addition: a component called a rectifier that gathers the power, and a voltage boosting converter.
New Scientist also reports on the process here.
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