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State's New Innovation Institute Wants To Shake Up Textiles Industry

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Secretary of Defense Ash Carter at an event for the Revolutionary Fibers and Textiles Manufacturing Innovation Institute at MIT (Joe Difazio for WBUR)
Secretary of Defense Ash Carter at an event for the Revolutionary Fibers and Textiles Manufacturing Innovation Institute at MIT (Joe Difazio for WBUR)

A new project announced today by the White House and Gov. Charlie Baker hopes to bring our apparel into the 21st century.

The Revolutionary Fibers and Textiles Manufacturing Innovation Institute is a $320 million partnership between nearly 50 companies. The network will be led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The Institute will develop "smart garments," useful in a wide range of fields from the military to industrial workers to everyday people.

Guest

Yoel Fink, director of MIT's Research Laboratory of Electronics, which tweets @RLEatMIT.

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WBUR: Mass. Chosen To Lead National Textile Manufacturing Innovation Hub

  • "The $317 million initiative is being led by MIT through Advanced Functional Fabrics of America, a new independent non-profit founded by the university. It will receive funding from the Department of Defense as well as $40 million in matching funds from the state of Massachusetts."

The New York Times: U.S. Textile Industry Turns to Tech as Gateway to Revival

  • "The field requires contributions from many disciplines, including materials science, electrical engineering, software development, human-computer interaction, advanced manufacturing and fashion design. Clothes filled with sensors and chips could give new meaning to the term wearables, now mainly wristbound digital devices like a fitness monitor or an Apple Watch."

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