We live in a world in which technology is advancing at such an astonishing rate that it is often difficult to comprehend its impact on our lives. The textile industry has kept pace and today's technology can provide fibers that go well beyond the best nature can offer. The textile industry, however, must become more profitable in developed nations and less sensitive to cyclic changes in the world economy in order to continue this pace. The challenge is to improve short-term financial performance in a way that accomplishes the long-term transformation necessary for sustained growth. A way to achieve this is through disruptive innovation. The inherent characteristics of new textiles underpin the functional and aesthetic qualities in varied applications beginning with apparel and extending to medicine, aerospace, construction, agriculture and home furnishings. There has been rapid growth in the polymer, material, information and biological sciences. Advances in these divergent sciences ?and particularly at their interfaces ?have begun to allow a new view of future textile systems.
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