This Robotic Textile Helps Wearers Breathe

A recent Medgadget article discussed innovative ‘robotic textile’ that helps patients to recover breathing patterns after surgery or respiratory ailments like COVID-19. The textile was developed by MIT researchers, and it’s composed of actuatable fibers that are powered by compressed air. The fibers can be used to make garments that sense how they’re manipulated and offer tactile feedback simultaneously.

The flexible fibers that make up the textiles have a fluid core that contains either air or a liquid that can be compressed or released to make them perform like muscle fibers. They also contain sensors that detect changes in the fibers during movement. When used in garments, they have a multitude of purposes such as helping singers hone their breathing technique by prompting them to activate specific muscles while singing. This video shows the robotic fibers in action.