FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OmniFiber: Self Sensing Morphing Textiles

Ozgun Kilic Afsar, in collaboration with Ali Shtarbanov and Hiroshi Ishii, has introduced OmniFiber, a groundbreaking high-pressure microfluidic fiber technology for robotic textiles and garments. This innovative fiber can sense its own physical deformation and mechanically respond to it, offering versatile morphing behavior with immediate response, high contraction ratio, and high force output.

Utilizing microfluidic actuation with reinforced tubular elastomers, OmniFiber is designed for closed-loop Human Textile Interaction, featuring localized sensor nodes and a mechanical programming pipeline for versatile morphing states. A single OmniFiber device can be as thin as 500 microns and as large as 2 millimeters in diameter, with a continuous fabrication of a 60 meters-long fiber spool achieved so far.

Ozgun Kilic Afsar's research at MIT Media Lab has led to the development of OmniFiber, presenting a novel textile technology where actuated fibers are used to create self-sensing robotic fabrics. This technology operates with low power, high bandwidth, and is strong enough to lift kilograms of weight, making it ideal for various applications such as kinesthetic wearables, dynamic fitting garments, and textile-based haptic devices for telepresence applications.

Ozgun Kilic Afsar is a Ph.D. candidate at KTH Royal Institute of Technology and a Research Affiliate at MIT Media Lab. Her current research focuses on integrated soft robotic fibers and textiles that correspond to the dexterity of human biomechanics. OmniFiber has been awarded the Bronze A' Design Award in Textile, Fabric, Textures, Patterns, and Cloth Design in 2022, recognizing its outstanding and creatively ingenious design that contributes to quality of life improvements.

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