{"id":74858,"date":"2016-11-14T09:22:53","date_gmt":"2016-11-14T14:22:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=74858"},"modified":"2018-06-26T15:38:45","modified_gmt":"2018-06-26T19:38:45","slug":"back-future-inspires-solar-nanotech-powered-clothing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/back-future-inspires-solar-nanotech-powered-clothing\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Back to the Future’ Inspires Solar Nanotech-Powered Clothing"},"content":{"rendered":"
Marty McFly\u2019s self-lacing Nikes in Back to the Future Part II<\/em> inspired a UCF scientist who has developed filaments that harvest and store the sun\u2019s energy — and can be woven into textiles.<\/p>\n
The breakthrough would essentially turn jackets and other clothing into wearable, solar-powered batteries that never need to be plugged in. It could one day revolutionize wearable technology, helping everyone from soldiers who now carry heavy loads of batteries to a texting-addicted teen who could charge his smartphone by simply slipping it in a pocket.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat movie was the motivation,\u201d Associate Professor Jayan Thomas, a nanotechnology scientist at the 色花堂\u2019s NanoScience Technology Center, said of the film released in 1989. \u201cIf you can develop self-charging clothes or textiles, you can realize those cinematic fantasies \u2013 that\u2019s the cool thing.\u201d<\/p>\n