Loomia joins hands with US' AFFOA to develop heated handwear

For this collaborative project, Loomia will provide technology to be used in a heated glove insert, while AFFOA will lead customer discovery, deliver system architecture designs, and produce an interface control unit. In addition to the heated glove insert, Loomia will also develop a heated sleeve. Both items will provide thermal comfort to users in harsh climates, or other areas where this protection is deemed necessary, AFFOA said in a press release.

Loomia’s technology can provide lighting, heating, and sensing functionalities, and boasts customisable components and a lightweight integration. In the past, Loomia has worked with such companies as Hyundai and Analog Devices to create the foundational technology for soft goods products.

AFFOA is a non-profit, public-private partnership with the mission to rekindle the textiles industry and enable revolutionary new system capabilities for commercial and defence applications. To catalyse the development of advanced functional fibres, AFFOA has assembled a Fabric Innovation Network (FIN) with 140+ members including start-ups, universities, manufacturers, commercial industry and defence partners.

“Our soft, flexible circuits can give the users high dexterity while in cold environments. Being able to use one’s hands in subzero temperatures can be the difference between life or death, so we’re excited to work with AFFOA on such an important application of electronic textiles,” Loomia’s founder, Madison Maxey, said.

“This project brings together members of AFFOA’s FIN to develop next generation product prototypes through an integrated systems approach. We hope that our collaboration results in a capability that can not only provide comfort to commercial and military users in cold climates but can also represent an opportunity to manufacture advanced textile products here in the US,” AFFOA CEO, Alexander Stolyarov, said.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (GK)