Shining a New Light on Fashion

Here's a little something that recently sparked our interest: Aussies are developing electricity-generating clothing. Yes, you read correctly. Researchers at CSIRO (Australia's national science agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) were recently granted $4.4 million AUD (about $4.08 million in the U.S.) to determine the feasibility of electricity-generating shirts. Some researchers think marketing these shirts is attainable within five years.

We'd explain the science, but we're not science bloggers for a reason. Dr. Adam Best, the leader of the project, explained to the The Sydney Morning Herald:

The secret behind the idea involved piezo electrical materials. "Whenever you bend or deform piezo electrical material it creates an electrical charge."

If a shirt could be woven from the fabric, the constant vibration would "produce electricity as you move."

The power would be fed into flexible batteries that would also be woven into the shirt. Appliances, including mobile phones and palm pilots could then be plugged into the shirt.

Also on the research team is Dr. Richard Helmer, who has also been trying to develop a musical shirt. If successful, closet air guitarists would actually be able to play a tune simply by strumming their hand.

Of course, "to be a commercial success [the shirts] would have to be no heavier than a woollen jumper and would need to be washable," the Herald explains.

So the next time you're Down Under and you see someone talking into their collar, do not be alarmed. They are probably just talking into their new shirt-powered mobile phone. Thanks, Ecotality Life, for shining a new light on the latest fashion!

Photo: CSIRO