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Scientists Create a Tiny Fiber That Works as a Pump and Can Be Sewn Into Clothes

Wearable technology is becoming increasingly advanced, but one major problem has remained: how to make fluid-powered systems truly wearable.

Many wearable devices use fluids to provide cooling, heating, movement or tactile sensations. However, these systems usually depend on conventional pumps. Such pumps can be bulky, noisy and difficult to integrate into clothing. As a result, a device may be wearable, while the pump powering it is not.

Researchers at the Soft Transducers Laboratory (LMTS) at EPFL’s School of Engineering have developed a remarkably different solution: a pump that is itself a fiber.

Instead of connecting clothing to a separate mechanical pump, the researchers created a tiny tube that can generate its own fluid pressure and flow. Because the pump is only about 2 millimeters in diameter, it can be incorporated directly into fabrics using ordinary sewing and weaving techniques.

The research was published in the journal Science.

A Pump Hidden Inside a Fiber

“Now, we can sew our fiber pumps directly into textiles and clothing, leaving conventional pumps behind,” said Herbert Shea, head of the LMTS.

The idea builds on the laboratory's earlier work in soft fluidic technology. In 2019, the researchers developed what they described as the world's first stretchable pump. Their latest development takes that concept further by transforming the pump into a flexible fiber-like structure.

According to Michael Smith, an LMTS postdoctoral researcher and lead author of the study, the fiber format makes it possible to create pumps that are lighter, more powerful and better suited to wearable devices.

The technology could potentially eliminate one of the biggest obstacles preventing fluid-based wearable systems from becoming compact and comfortable.

How Does the Fiber Pump Work?

Unlike traditional pumps, the fiber pump has no moving mechanical parts.

It works using a process called charge injection electrohydrodynamics, or EHD. The fiber contains two helical electrodes that are built directly into its wall. These electrodes interact with a special non-conductive liquid.

When electrical power is applied, the electrodes cause molecules in the liquid to become electrically charged. The electric field then accelerates these charged molecules through the fluid.

Because of the arrangement and shape of the electrodes, this movement produces a net flow of liquid in one direction.

The result is a pump that can move fluid without motors, pistons, rotating components or vibrating mechanisms.

This gives the fiber pump an important advantage: silent operation.

Traditional miniature pumps can produce noise and vibration, which may be uncomfortable or undesirable when integrated into clothing. The fiber pump, by contrast, can operate quietly while requiring only a palm-sized power supply and battery.

Only 2 Millimeters Wide

Creating a pump small enough to be incorporated into fabric required the researchers to develop a new manufacturing technique.

They began with copper wires and polyurethane threads, which were twisted together around a steel rod. The structure was then fused using heat.

Once the steel rod was removed, the result was a hollow fiber-like tube containing the components needed to generate fluid flow.

The finished pump has a diameter of approximately 2 millimeters.

That small size means it can be handled much like a textile fiber. Researchers can sew or weave it into fabrics using standard textile manufacturing techniques.

This opens up possibilities that would be difficult to achieve with conventional pumps.

Another interesting feature is that the pressure generated by the pump depends directly on its length. This means manufacturers can cut the fiber to the length required for a particular application.

Instead of carrying a large pump and unnecessary tubing, the pump itself can become part of the garment.

Lightweight, Scalable and Washable

The researchers say the fiber pump also offers practical manufacturing advantages.

Its construction uses relatively inexpensive and readily available materials. The manufacturing process could potentially be scaled up for larger production.

The system is also designed to be robust enough to survive normal washing with conventional detergents.

That is particularly important for wearable technology. A device intended to be incorporated into everyday clothing cannot be useful if the clothing has to be treated like delicate laboratory equipment.

By combining pumping and tubing into a single flexible structure, the researchers hope to make fluid-powered wearable devices significantly simpler.

From Smart Clothing to Artificial Muscles

One of the most promising applications is temperature-regulating clothing.

Fiber pumps could circulate heated or cooled liquid through garments. Such clothing could potentially help workers operating in extremely hot or cold environments.

The technology could also have therapeutic applications, such as helping manage inflammation through controlled temperature changes.

Athletes could potentially use similar systems to regulate body temperature during training or competition.

But temperature control is only one possibility.

The researchers have also demonstrated fabric-based artificial muscles containing fiber pumps. These systems could eventually contribute to soft robotic technologies and wearable exoskeletons.

For example, a lightweight soft exoskeleton could use fluid-powered artificial muscles to assist people with movement or walking.

Because the pumping system is integrated into the fabric itself, such devices could potentially become less bulky than systems that rely on conventional external pumps.

A New Possibility for Virtual Reality

The technology could also change how people experience virtual reality.

Today, VR systems can reproduce visual and auditory sensations extremely well, but physical sensations such as temperature remain more difficult to simulate.

Fiber pumps could provide a solution.

Imagine wearing a glove containing tiny channels filled with hot or cold liquid. When a user interacts with a virtual object, the system could circulate fluid at different temperatures through the glove.

A virtual object that appears hot could create a warming sensation. A virtual object representing ice could produce a cooling sensation.

Because the pumps are embedded directly into the wearable material, such systems could potentially remain lightweight and flexible.

What Comes Next?

The researchers believe the current technology is only an early step.

The fiber pumps already demonstrate useful performance, but the team is working to improve factors such as efficiency, durability and operating lifetime.

They are also investigating ways to scale up production and incorporate the pumps into increasingly complex wearable systems.

The larger significance of the technology is that it challenges the traditional idea of what a pump needs to look like.

Instead of treating the pump as a separate machine connected to wearable clothing, the researchers have effectively turned the tubing itself into the pump.

That simple change could make fluid-powered wearables lighter, quieter and easier to manufacture.

From temperature-regulating clothing and medical devices to soft exoskeletons and immersive virtual reality, a tiny 2-millimeter fiber could become an important building block for the next generation of wearable technology.

Reference: Michael Smith et al., Fiber pumps for wearable fluidic systems, Science (2023), DOI: 10.1126/science.ade8654. Read the research paper in Science

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