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Polar bear fur-inspired sweater is thinner than a down jacket – and just as warm

22 points by lobochrome 3y ago

lobochrome 3y ago
This is the future I am here for.
westurner 3y ago
> The synthetic fibre is an aerogel coated with polyurethane and is flexible, washable and wearable. "Biomimetic, knittable aerogel fiber for thermal insulation textile" (2023) https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adj8013 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adj8013 https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=&journal=Science&doi=10.1126%2Fscience.adj8013&volume=382&pages=1379-1383&publication_year=2023&author=Wu%2CM https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=&journal=Sci.... If lab grown meat is possible, so should lab grown fur. A lab-grown fur with some sort of way to verify that it's lab-grown with a jeweler's scope or similar might be a viable product? FWIU arctic survival folks can explain the types of fur, and why no synthetic is even really comparable. From "xPrize Wildfire Competition" (2023) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35660231 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35660231 re: airogels and hydrogels: >> Problem: #airogel made of CO² is an excellent insulator that's useful for many applications; but it needs structure, so foam+airogel but that requires smelly foam >> Possible solution: Cause structure to form in the airogel. "Superelastic and Ultralight Aerogel Assembled from Hemp Microfibers" (2023) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/adfm.202300893 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/adfm.202300... ; flax might be sufficient, too
- zeristor 3y ago
  You’re talking about the scene from Blade Runner when Deckard talks with Abel Ben Hasan as to who made the artificial snake.
- westurner 3y ago
  Potential aerogel application: low-VOC washable waterproof sleeping pads "Are there any closed cell foam sleeping pads with an R-value of 3 to 4? Tips on hacking non-inflating pads to make them more winter proof?" (2023) r/Ultralight https://www.reddit.com/r/Ultralight/comments/16h19h1/are_there_any_closed_cell_foam_sleeping_pads_with/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Ultralight/comments/16h19h1/are_the... What is the difference in R-value of (sleeping pads) with these materials? - Add high R-value reflective tape to the ground side - Add a mylar emergency blanket -like windshield sunscreen below the pad - Double the (closed cell foam) pads - Add aerogel to the (closed cell foam) manufacturing process - Add aerogel to XPS Extruded Polystyrene Criteria: Recyclability, Washability, Waterproofness, Mass, R-Value,
rcarr 3y ago
This would be fucking dope. I'm currently backpacking and have a Patagonia Nanoair as my sole mid layer and even that still takes up a sizeable amount of room in my backpack. If anyone has any other suggestions please comment.

22 points by lobochrome 3y ago

This is the future I am here for.

> The synthetic fibre is an aerogel coated with polyurethane and is flexible, washable and wearable. "Biomimetic, knittable aerogel fiber for thermal insulation textile" (2023) https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adj8013 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adj8013 https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=&journal=Science&doi=10.1126%2Fscience.adj8013&volume=382&pages=1379-1383&publication_year=2023&author=Wu%2CM https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=&journal=Sci.... If lab grown meat is possible, so should lab grown fur. A lab-grown fur with some sort of way to verify that it's lab-grown with a jeweler's scope or similar might be a viable product? FWIU arctic survival folks can explain the types of fur, and why no synthetic is even really comparable. From "xPrize Wildfire Competition" (2023) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35660231 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35660231 re: airogels and hydrogels: >> Problem: #airogel made of CO² is an excellent insulator that's useful for many applications; but it needs structure, so foam+airogel but that requires smelly foam >> Possible solution: Cause structure to form in the airogel. "Superelastic and Ultralight Aerogel Assembled from Hemp Microfibers" (2023) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/adfm.202300893 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/adfm.202300... ; flax might be sufficient, too

zeristor 3y ago
You’re talking about the scene from Blade Runner when Deckard talks with Abel Ben Hasan as to who made the artificial snake.
westurner 3y ago
Potential aerogel application: low-VOC washable waterproof sleeping pads "Are there any closed cell foam sleeping pads with an R-value of 3 to 4? Tips on hacking non-inflating pads to make them more winter proof?" (2023) r/Ultralight https://www.reddit.com/r/Ultralight/comments/16h19h1/are_there_any_closed_cell_foam_sleeping_pads_with/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Ultralight/comments/16h19h1/are_the... What is the difference in R-value of (sleeping pads) with these materials? - Add high R-value reflective tape to the ground side - Add a mylar emergency blanket -like windshield sunscreen below the pad - Double the (closed cell foam) pads - Add aerogel to the (closed cell foam) manufacturing process - Add aerogel to XPS Extruded Polystyrene Criteria: Recyclability, Washability, Waterproofness, Mass, R-Value,

rcarr 3y ago

This would be fucking dope. I'm currently backpacking and have a Patagonia Nanoair as my sole mid layer and even that still takes up a sizeable amount of room in my backpack. If anyone has any other suggestions please comment.