FABRIC INCREASING MUSCLE STRENGTH

[Anchor Lead]

Korean researchers have developed a fabric that helps increase muscle strength when worn as clothing. The idea of clothes making people stronger could soon become a reality.

[Pkg]

The woof and the warp are woven into a fabric. This is not a traditional weaving session but a state-of-the-art scientific experiment.

[Soundbite] "Same principle as weaving."

Little did these researchers, who majored in engineering, know that someday they would weave fabrics. The thin black thread they are using is shape-memory alloy. It contracts when exposed to heat. This is a so-called muscle fabric.

[Soundbite] Park Cheol-hoon(Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials) : "When 6.6 g of shape-memory alloy is attached, 10kg can be added to the body, or 1500 times its weight. This means that a person wearing it can lift much more weight."

When the fabric is worn on the arms, it takes only half the muscle strength to lift dumbbells. When it's attached to the legs of a mannequin and contracted, the mannequin gets up. It acts like muscles. A sensor detects muscle movements and causes the fabric to contract or relax when needed to help people move with greater ease. The fabric is lightweight, as it requires no motor. It doesn't cost much to produce them.

[Soundbite] Park Cheol-hoon(Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials) : "Elderly people experience inconveniences due to muscle loss. I hope this fabric will help improve their quality of living. In the future it could even be used to improve athletic abilities."

This muscle fabric is quite a scientific breakthrough. When commercialized, it's expected to be widely used in labor-intensive tasks as well as rehab.