Research Featured at DRS 2026: Can Textiles Be Alive?

We are pleased to share that our collaborative research paper, "Can textiles be alive? Exploring transitional materialities through microbial biosensors and textile fluidics," is being presented this week at the Design Research Society (DRS) 2026 Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland

Developed in collaboration with researchers from Northeastern University (BIND Lab + Joshi Group) the paper explores a novel framework for materials in transition via the Living Textiles platform . The project investigates the integration of genetically engineered whole-cell biosensors directly into textiles to enable environmental and on-body physiological sensing.

By marrying biological sensing with traditional textile craft, the research challenges the conventional reliance on rigid electronics in smart garment design. Instead, it proposes a shift toward textile ecologies -utilizing textile fluidics to support microenvironments that sustain microbial life. This framework reframes smart materials not as extractive or disposable electronics, but as regenerative, cohabited, and dynamic systems possessing inherent material intelligence.

While I am unable to attend the presentation in person this year, I am incredibly proud of the team on the ground pushing the boundaries of biomaterial design and material computation.

The full paper and abstract can be accessed through the DRS 2026 conference proceedings via DOI: 10.21606/drs.2026.2613 (WIP)