Fabrics geared towards athletes are designed to wick sweat away from the body so they don’t feel drenched. But the fabric is still wet and weighed down with perspiration. To really feel dry, researchers at UC Davis have developed a fabric with channels that literally drain sweat away. Gross and awesome.
The fabric, made from hydrophobic threads, also kind of works like human skin, pooling sweat into droplets. But the real innovation is a series of woven channels made from water-attracting hydrophilic threads that then carry those droplets to other parts of the garment where they can more easily evaporate. The system even keeps working when the fabric is completely soaked, so if you’re completely stressing a big job interview, your armpits won’t give it away. [UC Davis via Gizmag]