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Self-Folding Clothes

Self-explanatory
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I propose clothing in which each sleeve, pant-leg, etc. has electroactive fibers woven into it. The clothes are not powered, so there is no hazard in getting them wet. Upon removing the clothes from the dryer (which, admittedly, would have to be specially constructed so as not to damage the fibers), the clothes are laid out flat and a specially marked corner is placed in a powerful electromagnetic field. The clothes are energized through induction and, with the aid of an imbedded microprocessor, selectively expand and contract the fibers to fold the clothing automatically.

Socks could be programmed to worm their way towards their mate if they were given short-range RF systems and a bit of undulatory topology programming.

Electroactive pplymers are hardly WIBNIs - see link.

Macwarrior, Nov 14 2003

JPL's Electroactive Polymers http://ndeaa.jpl.na...de/lommas/aa-hp.htm
The NASA JPL Laboratory's page on these electroactive polymers. [Macwarrior, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]


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       Static electrical discharge could also cause some hilarity
Letsbuildafort, Nov 14 2003
  

       Rather than self-folding, I think you'll make your mint using the same technology to sell clothes that are self-ironing.
DrCurry, Nov 14 2003
  

       Hmm...there's an idea. I take it that you mean that the fibers could be programmed to flatten out wrinkles in the fabric.
Macwarrior, Nov 14 2003
  

       The fibers could be induced to straighten out, more easily I think than they could be induced to fold in the right spot.
DrCurry, Nov 14 2003
  

       if you made them from nitinal you could get them to fold when heat was applied.
RBStimers, Mar 18 2005
  

       There was an episode of Jimmy Neutron where he put a microchip in his pants so they'd hang themselves up. But then the pants went rogue and took over the 'House of Blue Jeans' and then they all terrorized the city. That would be a bad thing.
finrod, Mar 19 2005
  

       next on funniest home videos....when laundry attacks!
Arcanus, Mar 11 2010
  

       You could do more interesting things with this technology than just self folding, or self ironing clothes. You could have cloth with complicated perhaps moving textures -- like "smart seersucker" or "digital rutching" or "iPleats" Imagine a cape with continuous rippling waves traveling down from shoulders to hem, like a flag in the wind.
mouseposture, Mar 12 2010
  

       err.. too much electronics / whatever you call it on your cloth! huh?   

       specially that i doubt such clothes will be comfy at all to wear... think of running pants & PJs with all that in!
koraiem, Mar 13 2010
  


 

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