#SoCaltech: Chiara Daraio — Caltech Magazine

“Advances in materials have defined the properties and functionalities of the clothing and garments we've been using throughout the ages. Humans evolved from using furs and animal skins for protection to developing synthetic polymers that control our sweat or fabrics that measure our metabolic activity. Textiles also changed the course of history, for example, in opening commercial routes between the East and the West along the Silk Road. The reason why I'm particularly interested in wearable materials today is because we are at the convergence of many different fields with major advances in chemistry, manufacturing, and big data that together are going to change the way we use clothing beyond the classical functionality as a protection and fashion. I envision a future where, one day, devices and the digital world become a seamless part of us, embedding sensors, actuators, microcomputers, and antennas in the very fabrics of our clothing.”

—Chiara Daraio is the G. Bradford Jones Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Physics and a Heritage Medical Research Institute Investigator. You can now watch her May 10, 2023, Watson Lecture, “Making Wearable Materials Smarter” online. To view other Watson Lectures, visit Caltech’s YouTube channel.

#SoCaltech is an occasional series celebrating the diverse individuals who give Caltech its spirit of excellence, ambition, and ingenuity. Know someone we should profile? Send nominations to magazine@caltech.edu.