Birth of biological material clothes: human sweating automatically enhances breathability

For more than a century, people have made great strides in the use of electronics. But in biology, our pace seems to be a bit slow. BioLogic is a new project by the tangible media team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab, which is exploring interesting aspects of biology.

Yao Lining of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology presided over the research work of this project. She and the team tried to implement certain functions with certain microorganisms instead of motors.

BioLogic uses Bacillus subtilis, a strain commonly used in Japanese cuisine that reacts to moisture in the atmosphere. Like pine cones, these “natto cells” can also expand and contract automatically depending on the humidity of the air. The greater the humidity, the more it swells (the size of a single cell can vary by up to 50%). Yao Lining worked with the designer to create a new style of clothing called Second Skin that would become more breathable as the wearer's temperature and humidity increased.

Yao Lining's team made natto cells into biofilms and then printed them on spandex fabrics. Printing different patterns on biofilms can produce different effects. For example, evenly printing a biofilm on a fabric allows the fabric to be gently rolled up. If printed as a strip of thread, the fabric can be bent more sharply. Yao Lining explained that cells can respond to various levels of humidity, and in 100% humidity, it is completely open for maximum breathability.

Yao Lining said: For designers, biology is a promising new discipline because of its adaptability. “In biology, you can imagine some features that electronics can't achieve,” she said. Unlike electronic products, living things can grow, evolve, replicate, divide, and die. If you can control it, you will have tremendous power.

The BioLogic team used natural natto cells, which means that the ability of these cells to expand and contract is natural and has not been modified to enhance their ability. But Yao Lining said that in the future, designers may be able to modify the DNA structure of cells to achieve more complex functions. For example, adding bioluminescent substances, letting fabrics or plants shine, or adding bacteria that devour contaminants to make fabrics that can clean the air. “We are just getting started now,” she admitted, but there are many possibilities in the future that are worth pondering. (Kathy)