Harvard Researchers Develop Shape-Shifting Smart Fabrics Using Standard Knitting Machines
Researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have successfully developed innovative shape-shifting smart fabrics. Led by recent Ph.D. graduate Kausalya Mahadevan, the team utilized standard industrial knitting machines, specifically weft knitting, to create textiles capable of switching between multiple stable configurations, a property known as multistability. This breakthrough allows fabrics to 'snap' from one shape to another and remain stable, similar to a light switch. The research, published in Advanced Functional Materials, involved selecting highly elastic yarns and employing a plating technique, which places different yarns on opposite faces of the textile. This method produces dense, thick fabrics that naturally curl into three-dimensional forms. The team also integrated thin conductive yarns into these knitted structures, transforming them into soft, stretchable electrical switches that change their electrical state as the fabric shifts configurati... 
