New Fashion "Second Skin": It Can Become More Breathable As The Wearer'S Body Temperature And Humidity Increase

Over the past century, people have made great progress in the utilization of electronics.

But in biology, our pace seems a bit slow.

BioLogic is a new project launched by the visible media team of the media lab of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The team is exploring interesting aspects of biology.

Yao Lining, of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, chaired the project.

She and her team try to use certain microorganisms instead of motors to achieve certain functions.

BioLogic used Bacillus subtilis natto, a commonly used bacteria in Japanese cuisine, that responds to atmospheric water.

Like pine nuts, these natto cells can also expand and contract automatically according to the humidity of the air.

The greater the humidity, the bigger the expansion (the size of a single cell can change by 50%).

Yao Lining worked with designers to create a new style.

Second Skin, which is called "second skin", can become more breathable as the temperature and humidity of the wearer increase.

Yao Lining's team made natto cells into biofilms and was then printed on polyurethane fabric.

Printing different patterns on biofilms can produce different results.

For example, printing the biofilm evenly on the fabric can make the fabric roll up softly.

If printed in a single line, the fabric can be bent more sharply.

Yao Lining explained that cells can respond to all kinds of humidity, and in 100% humidity, it is completely open to achieve the greatest degree of permeability.

Yao Lining said: for

Biology is a promising new discipline, because its adaptability is very strong.

"In biology, you can imagine the functions that some electronic products can't achieve," she said.

Unlike electronic products, living matter can grow, evolve, reproduce, split and die.

If you can control it, you will have tremendous power.

The BioLogic research team used natural natto cells, that is to say, the expansion and contraction ability of these cells was natural, without any modification to enhance their ability.

But Yao Lining said that in the future, designers might be able to modify the DNA structure of cells to achieve more complex functions.

For example, add bioluminescent substances, let fabrics or plants shine, or add bacteria that swallow pollutants, and make clean air.

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"We are just beginning," she admits. But there are many possibilities to be imagined in the future.