IIT Delhi sets up SMITA research lab centre of excellence in smart textiles

NEW DELHI: The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi has converted SMITA (Smart Materials and Innovative Textile Applications) Research Lab to a Centre of Excellence in smart textiles.

The SMITA research lab centre of excellence in smart textiles has been established to work in the area of smart and functional textiles using emerging materials and process technologies, which can directly benefit the country’s textile industry, an official statement from IIT Delhi said.

Also Read | IIT Hyderabad introduces three new BTech programmes: Report

The centre will focus on:

Development of highly functional and high-performance textile materials using nanomaterials, nanofibres, and nano engineered materials.

Development of wearable textiles, also known as Electronic-Textiles.

Development of functional textiles for healthcare applications.

Textiles is an important area for India as it is the second largest employer after agriculture. Textiles contribute significantly to our economy through both domestic consumption and exports. However, the apparel sector is facing stiff competition from other low cost producing countries, the IIT Delhi statement said.

SMITA Research Lab at IIT Delhi has developed several novel technologies for the first time in the country, such as nanomaterial based antibacterial, antiviral and self cleaning finishes, nanofiber based nostril filters (also known as Nasofilters) and automobile filters, continuous electrospinning machine, textile based sensors and energy harvesting devices, high performance fibres etc. as per the statement.

Also Read | JEE Advanced result 2021: Mridul Agarwal bags first rank; Check stats, toppers list

V Ramgopal Rao, Director, IIT Delhi said: “IIT Delhi has converted its “Smart Materials and Innovative Textile Applications (SMITA) Research Lab” to a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Smart Textiles to further enhance the impact that IIT Delhi can make in the technical textile domain and to expedite the developments in this crucial area. Creation of the CoE has brought together researchers from different disciplines to develop futuristic smart textiles”.