The Future Is Here – Nanotechnology in Clothing

Nanotechnology is a term that has made its way around science fiction for years. The premise of nanotech is simple: tiny, often microscopic machines are designed and programmed to do a simple task, something that would otherwise be impossible to accomplish by a human or bigger machine. In other counts, this would simply be a type of nano-material created for a certain purpose, and usually a purpose it can fulfil much more efficiently than anything else on the market. The technology behind this has been in the works for years, but even in an age where scientists are able to create atomically-sized capacitors in microchips, these are still extremely basic machines, where nanotech would need to be slightly more advanced.

Change is in the air, however, and there have been some recent breakthroughs that may just see a growth in nanotechnology. One industry that could potentially benefit greatly is the sports industry, where fabric has been an important part of the sports world for as long as there has been one. There has never been a better time to follow sports or online betting NZ, and it won’t be long before we see some of this technology being used by some of our favourite teams and players.

Nanotech Waterproofing

Being developed by Swiss chemists, this nano-fabric was designed to disallow any water at all from getting into the fabric. This may not seem that impressive, as we’ve already got a number of modern fabrics that can keep water at bay, but this is on a different level altogether. This nano-fabric works on the molecular level, completely blocking water molecules from penetrating the cloth. This type of fabric could be a huge benefit to swimmers, as water tends to slow a competitive swimmer down.

Antimicrobial Silver

Silver, at a molecular level, is antimicrobial by nature. This makes it the perfect material to use in clothing where the player tends to sweat a lot and cause an odour. Sweat is a natural response to activity, but it also creates the perfect environment for microbes to flourish, such as under our arms. Nano-silver would totally disallow these microbes from being able to settle in while still allowing our skin to breath and sweat naturally.

Nano-Insulation

Whenever we go out into the cold, we’re required to wear bulky clothing to keep warm. Jackets, mitts, hats, socks – they’re all designed to keep us as insulated as possible. This might no longer be the case with a new type of aerogel, which has incredible insulation properties while also being extremely light.

This could lead to a new range of thermal protection being developed, allowing us to wear clothing as light as what we wear every day, but with the added bonus of keeping us as warm as a thick, winter jacket. The winter sporting industry could potentially benefit the most, allowing them full mobility while snowboarding or skiing. Not does this aerogel protect from the cold, but also from physical harm. Altering the molecules of the aerogel, scientists have also made it extremely resistant to physical force, and believe that is has the strength to resist the weight of a car before breaking.