Hardware Podcasts

234. How Candy-Making Inspired the Future of Smart Textiles

The Next Byte Podcast · 2 Dec 2025 · 17m

What this episode covers

The hosts discuss a new stretchy electronic fiber developed by a team at EPFL that combines high conductivity with extreme flexibility using liquid metal and rubber. They explain the thermal drawing process used to manufacture the fiber, comparing it to making fiber optics or hard candy, and highlight its high gauge factor and durability. The conversation explores applications in smart wearables like knee braces, soft prosthetics, and robotic skins for humanoid robots such as Tesla's Optimus.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
EPFL, Framework, Mouser Electronics
Products
Tesla Optimus, Figure Neo

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