AI-yarn project is transforming the e-textile industry by developing bio-based and biocompatible yarns that address challenges of durability, comfort, and sustainability. Utilizing materials like cellulose and PLA, flexible, eco-friendly fabrics that redefine smart textiles are created. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, AI-yarn sets a new standard for biohybrid materials, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional electronic textiles.
Exploring innovative textile applications, Matteo Iannacchero collaborated with Professor Anja Boisen and the Drug Delivery and Sensing group at the Technical University of Denmark to develop biocompatible yarn electrodes for an ingestible system. This system serves as an electrical power source for sensing and signal delivery within the gastrointestinal tract.
During a six-week collaboration at DTU's IDUN labs, engineering and design techniques were merged to develop a biocompatible yarn-based supercapacitor designed for ingestion. This project focused on three main approaches: the coating of conductive fibers with biocompatible energy-storing materials and the creation of an ionic conductive hydrogel and the study of its behavior in-vitro and possibly in-vivo tests. The work aimed to unite expertise in advanced material science with cutting-edge biodesign, resulting in a supercapacitor that is not only functional and safe for ingestion but also capable of maintaining efficient energy storage within the body.
The outcomes of this project lay a strong foundation for future research into ingestible energy storage devices using sustainable materials. The findings demonstrate the immense potential of interdisciplinary collaboration in producing novel solutions that can lead to breakthroughs in bioelectronics.
Looking ahead, collaboration with DTU will continue, focusing on the development of a textile-based triboelectric nanogenerator for targeted drug delivery systems. This next phase will further expand the exploration of innovative textile technologies, promising significant advancements in personalized medicine applications.
The outcomes of the research visit laid the groundwork for a forthcoming joint publication and strengthened the relationship between DTU and Aalto University, which both are dedicated to advancing innovation through interdisciplinary collaboration. The enhanced ties promise exciting future projects and research initiatives.
This work has been done with the support of Jane and Aatos Erkko foundation.
In his doctoral research conducted at Aalto University’s Bioinnovation Center, Iannacchero uses machine learning to develop ecologically sustainable electronic yarns. This is an opportunity to come up with something completely new.
To achieve human wellbeing in planetary boundaries, we need new sustainable solutions to wisely use our natural resources. The Bioinnovation Center especially focuses on innovations in sustainable bio-based materials, with special focus on textiles and packaging.
