It is the ultimate in dressing for all conditions. A spacesuit fabric has been developed that can generate electricity from sunlight, detect and fix holes caused by micrometeoroids, kill germs and protect its wearer from radiation.
The multilayered material was developed by a team led by David Cadogan of spacesuit maker ILC Dover in Delaware. Flexible solar cells, made of electrically conductive plastic or silicon-based materials, are sewn into the outer layer to provide the suit with power.
An inner layer of polymer gel encased in thin plastic protects the suit from damage. If a hole less than 2 millimetres…
