Self powered heating garments
The project aims to verify whether Fårtex®—a fossil-free insulation material made from residual wool—can be imparted with triboelectric functionality and thereby generate measurable electrical energy from mechanical motion
Fårtex® has been developed by Wool Rebel AB since 2020 and represents a sustainable alternative to fossil-based insulation materials in outdoor and workwear. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) convert kinetic energy into electricity when materials come into contact and separate. In garments insulated with Fårtex®, continuous motion occurs naturally.
These movements from outdoor work or leisure activities may be sufficient to power heating elements built into garments such as jackets, gloves, and boots—eliminating the need for external power sources. This reduces electronic waste and makes outdoor and workwear more self-sufficient. The market for heated outdoor garments and workwear is growing at 15% per year and expects to reach $9,5 Billion by 2033.
The project advances from TRL 2 to TRL 4 through material development, laboratory validation, and demonstrator testing, in collaboration with RISE and Axfoundation. A successful outcome will demonstrate a new class of bio-based, energy-generating insulation materials for sustainable wearable systems, where the raw material is a biological residual stream available across Europe. The project moves from MRL1 to MRL2, and from SRL1 to SRL2.
