Innovative material applications in automotive industry

Published On: December 1, 2008

Sheila Clark, a research fellow at the Royal College of Art’s School of Fashion and Textiles and Vehicle Design in London, England, explores a variety of innovative materials for applications in the automotive industry, predominantly as upholstery. Her materials are imbued with health-giving properties that add to driver/passenger comfort and safety.

The blue seat combines a hand-woven glass fiber panel with a conductive strip to heat the seat and relax the back’s dorsal muscles while driving. The reflective seat is trimmed with two woven fabrics, one with a steel weft yarn that is soft to the touch yet strong and conductive, and the other woven using a reflective tape that gives a light-reflecting flash of silver when seen at different angles. The well-being seat is trimmed with two health-giving woven fabrics: bamboo, a sustainable material with natural antibacterial characteristics, and an outer fabric made of silver and wool that also has antibacterial properties, prevents static electricity and deflects electromagnetic rays—with great potential for airline interiors.

SOURCE www.rca.ac.uk/Default