It's fine that smart clothes and wearable devices have been in the sights of researchers and manufacturers for a long time, but this is new: scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have been working on a prototype t-shirt with a venting and automatically scent in response to sweat.

A bacterium is used with latex, which relaxes by absorbing sweat and makes room for air.

According to Wen Wang, who led the study and wrote the wearable bio-hybrid paper in the journal Science Advances, B. subtilis bacteria was used in the middle of two layers of latex. The inner part, closest to the skin, relaxes by absorbing perspiration and folding, making room for airflow.

Graphic illustrates the action of bacteria on latex

“We have shown that hygroscopic and biofluorescent living cell behaviors can be designed to create bio-hybrid wearables capable of offering multifunctional responsiveness to human sweat. By depositing genetically engineered microbes on a moisture-inert material to form a heterogeneous multilayer structure, we obtained reversible layers that could change shape and intensity within seconds, in response to varying degrees of environmental humidity, ”explains the article.

But it is not possible to wash. Still…

Wang said the process works even if the bacteria is dead, because the cell's elements, such as DNA and polysaccharides, bend in response to the mixture. However, in order for the project to be brought to market it is necessary to overcome a problem: the laundry cannot be washed, otherwise the bacteria may be washed away.

Researcher even thinks of clothing that "eats" dirt caused by wine, blood or other biodegradable material

The solution would be to create a way of chemically binding it to a fabric or embedding it in the knit yarns. And the researcher goes further, saying that she devises even a way to use living microorganisms to digest those drops of wine or blood that have soiled her clothes. This is a little farther away, however, because it would be necessary to “lock” agents into the clothing structure and ensure that they have energy when no “food” is available.

Scheme shows aperture with heat compared to normal state on the right

Have you ever thought of a T-shirt that can open for air intake and to exude a smell when you're sweaty while cleaning yourself by "eating" biodegradable material? This piece may not be that far away from your wardrobe.

Via TecMundo.