Wearable solar fiber can be used to charge portable devices

Cornell University’s Textile and Nanotech Lab which had teamed up with two Italian labs have devised a way by which they can make cotton threads conduct electricity along with maintaining the lightness and flexibility of cotton. Although this has been achieved before, it was at the cost of the fabric losing its natural feel. In this method, natural cotton fibers are coated with a combination of semiconductor polymers and nanoparticles in a coating less than 100 nanometres thick which helps to retain the flexibility of cotton. Using this fabric a dress has been made which can charge a mobile device or an MP3 player using a USB port by using solar energy.

This technology has various other applications such as making t-shirts which can analyze the heart rate of a person and pillowcases that can monitor brainwaves. This method of coating cotton fibers provides a new hope for wearable technology.
[cnet]