Carter: DoD-MIT Partnership to Produce Fabrics That See, Hear, Sense
 
  By Cheryl Pellerin
  Defense Secretary Ash Carter today announced that DoDis partnering with an 89-member consortium to establish anew manufacturinginnovation institutefocused on revolutionaryfibers and textiles. Speaking this morning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management in Cambridge, Carter said thatAdvanced Functional Fabrics ofAmerica is a competitivelyselectedgroup ofcompanies, universities, non-profits, research organizations and startup incubators organized by MIT.01:05
    
    

    
    
    
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            Carter on Partnering with Advanced Functional Fabrics of America “This is apioneeringfield combiningfibers andyarns with ... flexibleintegrated circuits, LEDs, solarcells, electronicsensors and othercapabilities to createfabrics and cloths that cansee, hear, sense,communicate, storeenergy,regulatetemperature, monitorhealth, changecolor and much more,” the secretary added. The department is makinga$75 million investment that has been matched morethanthreetimes over with morethan $240 million dollars in contributions from public-and private-sectorpartners, he said. **Revolutionary Textiles** Revolutionaryfibers andtextiles haveenormous potential forthedefensemission, Carter added, noting that lightweight sensors woven into thenylon ofparachutes will beableto catch small tears that might otherwiseexpand in midair and riskparatroopers’lives. 







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            Carter on Revolutionary Fibers Uniforms with electronicsembedded intheirfibers will detect potential chemical and radiological agents, help powernetworked devicesthattroops carryinto the field andknow if a wounded servicememberneedsan anti-bacterial bandage, he said. Tentswhosefabrics generateandstoretheirown power and regulatethetemperatureinside will reducefuel consumption in thefield. “Therealityis that ...wedon’t knowall theadvances this newtechnology will makepossible,” Carter said, “that’s theremarkablethingabout innovation, and it’s anotherreason why Americaand America’smilitary must get therefirst.” In the commercial world, such technical textiles will fuel the drive toward wearables. He added. **Pushing the Envelope** Running shoes as lightweight as socks will senseimpact load foreverystep, he said, new fibers will strengthen walls and floors in buildings and otherstructures, first responders will wear ultralight firefighting gear that is moreprotectiveagainst thehottest flames, and washable featherweight sensors embedded in clothing will offer a clearer picture of health and fitness. To stay ahead ofthe world’s growing and diverse challenges, Carter said the department is investing aggressivelyin innovation. “We’repushingtheenvelopewith research into new technologies likerobotics, biotech, cyberdefense,electronicwarfareand hypersonicengines that canflyoverfivetimes thespeedofsound,” he said. 







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            Carter on New Technologies The department isbuildingon-ramps and off-ramps so technical talent can flow in and out of the Pentagon, Carter added, “so moreofAmerica’s brightest minds can contributeto ourmission ofnational defense ... and so ourmilitaryandcivilian technologists and theinnovativedefenseindustrythat alreadysupports us can interact in newways with theentire innovativeecosystem.” **New Partnerships** DoD also is developingnew partnerships with innovativeprivate-sectorand technologycommunities in places likeBoston andSilicon Valley,Austin and Seattle, and other hubs of unrivalled U.S. innovation, the secretary said. President Barack Obama has established seven other manufacturing innovation institutes over the past four years and DoD has helped lead five of them, Carter said,in areas like3-D printing, lightweight metals, integrated photonics, digital manufacturing and design and flexiblehybrid electronics. “This will ensurethattheinnovations needed to develop, manufacture and commercializethesecutting-edgematerials will happen right herein America,” he added. (Follow Cheryl Pellerin on Twitter: @PellerinDoDNews)