An earthquake, flood, tsunami or hurricane leaves devastation in its wake, and either shuts down or pollutes most drinking water supplies, leading to death from waterborne disease or dehydration. Help is on the way from Hydration Technology Innovations (HTI), Albany, Ore., manufacturer of the HydroPack, a forward osmosis filtration system that can be immersed in [...]

It may be a stretch, but if super heroes wear spandex, why not dress up a two-story row house? New York artist Elizaveta (Leeza) Meksin joined Cosign Projects and other partners to present HOUSE COAT, an art installation at a red brick Benton Park building in St. Louis, Mo. Meksin chose semi-transparent white spandex custom [...]

Health care personnel from surgeons to first responders encounter increasing danger from antibiotic-resistant bacteria (such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA) and virulent strains of influenza virus. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health recently cleared the new SpectraShield™ 9500 Surgical N95 respirator mask for commercial use, and [...]

SureShade LLC, Philadelphia, Pa., has announced final acceptance of the company’s U.S. patent for the arched roller canvas shade assembly, a hands-free system that uses a boat’s existing t-top, hard top or bridge as a platform for rolling out additional shade coverage. The assembly’s framework is self-supporting and doesn’t interfere with fishing, boarding or docking [...]

Cargill transports more than 185 million tons of agricultural and other commodities by ship each year, and in 2012 plans to pilot technology that could reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in ocean-going vessels by using wind power. SkySails GmbH & Co. KG, Hamburg, Germany, manufactures kites that can reduce fuel by up to [...]

Value Vinyls, Grand Prairie, Texas, now offers improved Ad-Flex 8-ounce and Ad-Flex 12-ounce materials for printing with UV or solvent inks at high speeds, achieving high quality print results with single pass printing to keep ink costs down. Available in black back as well as white back with matte and gloss finishes, it’s well suited [...]

Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan will be a keynote speaker at the first ITMA-ITMF World Textile Summit, scheduled to take place in Barcelona, Spain, on September 21, 2011. The Summit is a one-day event, bringing together textile industry leaders and some of the world’s most influential thinkers and policy makers in strategically important fields [...]

Rising oil prices, cotton shortages and increased demand are driving unusual price increases in polyester. By Lynn Keillor For years, the primary indicator of polyester fiber or filament cost was the fluctuation in petroleum prices. If the price of a barrel of oil increased, so did the price per pound of the base synthetic ingredient: [...]

Inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s vision, architecture students create fabric dwellings at his Taliesin West campus. By Simón De Agüero Frank Lloyd Wright, visionary architect of the late 1800s and early 1900s, tested his radical design ideas on his personal projects before incorporating his design decisions into clients’ projects. This experimental approach is one of [...]

Smart branding helps to build strong connections with customers. By Brenda Haines What prompts a customer to choose one company over another? For many companies, the frustrating answer is price. To avoid competing exclusively on price, companies must build a strong emotional connection with customers and prospects. Effective branding will help them look beyond price [...]