CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (WWLP) – The federal government is partnering with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to develop cutting edge clothing.
Massachusetts could soon lead the nation in creating state of the art, high-tech clothing. The U.S. Department of Defense is teaming up with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to spearhead this budding industry.
“Massachusetts researchers and employers will collaborate to unlock new advances in military technology, medical care wearable technology and fashion,” said Governor Charlie Baker.
The Baker administration has committed $40 million to the partnership – the federal government $75 million. These highly-functional fabrics can protect firefighters from the hottest flames, and detect whether a wounded soldier needs to be treated with a compression bandage.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter told reporters that the development of these so-called “smart fibers” would play a major role in the fight against ISIS. He said, “A number of these fabrics are much more lightweight and shed heat better and that’s not an insignificant matter when you’re a soldier and you’re carrying around a lot of weight.”
MIT Materials Science Professor Yoel Fink told 22News that these advanced textiles could make it easier for the average citizen to charge their cell phones.
“Imagine now, cloth or clothes that have built-in batteries, but it’s not added to the cloth – it is the cloth.”
The Obama administration says the American textile industry is making a comeback. Nearly 900,000 manufacturing jobs were created in the United State since 2010.
