As part of the Department of Defense effort to partner with the private sector and academia to ensure the United States continues to lead in the new frontiers of manufacturing, today Secretary of Defense Ash Carter will announce that a leading consortium of 89 universities, manufacturers, and non-profits organized by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) will spearhead a new manufacturing innovation institute in partnership with the Department of Defense to secure U.S. leadership in revolutionary fibers and textiles manufacturing.
Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) Alliance, a new non-profit research and development consortium comprised of partners from industry, academia and state governments has been selected to lead this effort following a highly competitive nationwide bid process. The institute will bring together nontraditional partners to integrate fibers and yarns with integrated circuits, LEDs, solar cells, and other capabilities to create textiles and fabrics that can see, hear, sense, communicate, store energy, regulate temperature, monitor health, change color, and more.
Read the full press release from the Department of Defense posted on April 1st, 2016.