Breathable Biofabrics
From a young age we we're taught that bacteria is a bad thing that we should aim to get rid of. Then as we grew older we learnt that not all bacteria is bad, with some even being beneficial to our body!
A team from the MIT Media Lab has taken this one step further. Using the Bacillus Subtilis microorganism they have produced a living fabric-bacteria hybrid. Crazy riight?! Not so when you consider its potential applications.
Currently the fabric is being used in a project to reduce athletes body temperature. The bacteria naturally expands and contracts depending on the moisture in the atmosphere, resulting in the flaps on the clothing being rolled back to cool the athelte down.
This project is still in the growing process but has potnetial to bring a completely new science to fabric design.
There are literally millions of types of bacteria out there, and even if ony 1/1000 of these have human applications...we could all be wearing some amazing clothes in the coming years
