Introducing the fashion of the future: A T-shirt that you can wear a few times, then, when you get bored with it, dissolve and recycle to make a new shirt. Researchers at the ATLAS Institute at the University of Colorado Boulder are now one step closer to that goal. In a new study, the team of engineers and designers developed a DIY machine that spins textile fibers made of materials like sustainably sourced gelatin.
The group's "biofibers" feel a bit like flax fiber and dissolve in hot water in minutes to an hour. The work is in the journal . The team, led by Eldy Lázaro Vásquez, a doctoral student in the ATLAS Institute, presented its findings in May at the in Honolulu.
"When you don't want these textiles anymore, you can dissolve them and recycle the gelatin to make more fibers," said Michael Rivera, a co-author of the new research and assistant professor in the ATLAS Institute and Department of Computer Science. The study tackles a growing problem around the world: In 2018 alone, people in the United States to landfills, according to the Environmental Protection Agency—nearly 8% of all produced that year. The researchers envision a different path for fashion.
Their machine is small enough to fit on a desk and . Lázaro Vásquez hopes the device will help designers around the world experiment with making their own biofibers. "You could customize fibers with the strength and elasticity you want, the color you want," she said.
"With this kind of prototyping machine, .
