When were smart materials invented (textiles)?
“smart materials” is a PR term. It has either no meaning or many meanings. Textile people will tell you they have been doing smart materials since WW II when new polymers and chemicals came on the market. Today the term is used for any textile that is am “improvement”. New water wicking finishes can be smart, recycled polymers can be smart. We aren’t always talking futuristic things in most cases. Some smart textiles of that type only result with a prototype made and they never go to production. For example some textiles have wires in them. They work until you wad them up or wash them, so they are basically useless. When you hear the term smart textile, think about products being called “green”. 90% of it is just PR.
