One of the most remembered scenes of Back to the Future 2, in addition to the flying cars flying through the sky, is that of Marty adjusting his jacket because it is too big for him by pressing a simple button. In the film, clothes shorten and shrink, while a robotic voice plays the action.

We are about to reach that point, although not so roughly, thanks to a material that stretches or shrinks according to a person's measurements.

Biomaterial

Developed by researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), this biomaterial, made with keratin, a fibrous protein found in hair, nails and shells, can make one-size-fits-all clothing a reality because it can be 3D printed in any form and be reversibly preprogrammed with memory.

The researchers extracted keratin from the remains of Agora wool used in the manufacture of textiles. As explained Parker Kit, Tarr Family Professor of Bioengineering and Applied Physics at SEAS and senior author of the study:

With this project, we have shown that not only can we recycle wool, but we can build things with recycled wool that have never been imagined before. The implications for the sustainability of natural resources are clear. With recycled keratin protein, we can do as much, or more, than has been done to date with animal shearing and, in doing so, reduce the environmental impact of the fabric and fashion industry.

In Xataka Science

From sticky liquid to complex solid object in just a few minutes: new light 3D printer

To demonstrate this process, the researchers 3D printed keratin sheets in a variety of shapes. They programmed the material's permanent shape, the shape it will always return to when activated, using a solution of hydrogen peroxide and monosodium phosphate. Once the memory was established, the blade could be reprogrammed and molded into new shapes. For example, a keratin sheet was folded into a complex origami star as a permanent shape. Once memory was established, the researchers immersed the star in water, where it unfolded and became malleable. From there, they rolled the sheet into a tight tube. Once dry, the blade locked into a completely stable and functional tube. To reverse the process, they put the tube back into water, where it unrolled and folded back into an origami star.

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The news

These clothes stretch or shrink depending on a person's measurements, which would allow one-size-fits-all clothing to be made.

was originally published in

Xataka Science

by
Sergio Parra

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