Fiber-chip for “smart” clothing and “intelligent” systems
27 January 2026 | Zero5G.com | A team of researchers at Fudan University in Shanghai, China have invented a flexible fiber chip which can be woven into clothing. About the size of a human hair, the elastic polymer fiber chip combines signal capabilities, memory, and processing, paving the way toward interactive garments. The invention described in the study below, leads to other applications such as brain–computer interfaces. Such innovation aligns with global digital surveillance designs by enabling continuous monitoring and tracking of individuals’ physical and neural data.
“We demonstrate that this fully flexible fibre system paves the way for the interaction pattern desired in many cutting-edge applications, for example, brain–computer interfaces, smart textiles and virtual-reality wearables. This work presents new insights that can promote the development of fibre devices towards intelligent systems.”
Wang, Z., Chen, K., Shi, X. et al. Fibre integrated circuits by a multilayered spiral architecture. Nature (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09974-0
Abstract “Fibre electronic devices are transforming traditional fibres and garments into new-generation wearables that can actively interact with human bodies and the environment to shape future life1,2,3,4,5. Fibre electronic devices have achieved almost all of the desired functions, such as powering6,7, sensing8,9 and display10,11 functions. However, viable information-processing fibres, which lie at the heart of building intelligent interactive fibre systems similar to any electronic product, remain the missing piece of the puzzle12,13,14,15. Here we fill this gap by creating a fibre integrated circuit (FIC) with unprecedented microdevice density and multimodal processing capacity. The integration density reaches 100,000 transistors per centimetre, which effectively satisfies the requirements for interactive fibre systems. The FICs can not only process digital and analogue signals similar to typical commercial arithmetic chips but also achieve high-recognition-accuracy neural computing similar to that of the state-of-the-art in-memory image processors. The FICs are stable under harsh service conditions that bulky and planar counterparts have difficulty withstanding, such as repeated bending and abrasion for 10,000 cycles, stretching to 30%, twisting at an angle of 180° cm−1 and even crushing by a container truck weighing 15.6 tons. The realization of FICs enables closed-loop systems in a single fibre, without the need for any external rigid and bulky information processors. We demonstrate that this fully flexible fibre system paves the way for the interaction pattern desired in many cutting-edge applications, for example, brain–computer interfaces, smart textiles and virtual-reality wearables. This work presents new insights that can promote the development of fibre devices towards intelligent systems.” Source
Chinese scientists create thread-like “fiber chip” in Shanghai
“The breakthrough, published in the journal Nature on Thursday, moves beyond the rigid, planar form of traditional silicon chips.
“The human body is made of soft tissue, so emerging fields like future brain-computer interfaces demand soft, compliant electronic systems,” said Peng Huisheng, who led the study. His team has spent over a decade developing functional fibers for lighting, display and power.”
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