Researchers at Hong Kong Polytechnic University have developed a wearable fabric called X-Wear that can detect X-rays while conforming to the body—offering a more comfortable, flexible alternative to traditional rigid scintillators used in medical imaging. Made from inorganic fibers woven into a textile, X-Wear emits visible light when exposed to X-rays, enabling high-resolution imaging without the need for bulky equipment or painful compression.
The fabric’s performance is 10 times higher than previous flexible scintillators, and early demonstrations include dental imaging and a bra-like prototype for mammography that eliminates the need for breast compression. While still in development, X-Wear could eventually be used in wearable health monitors, mobile diagnostics, and even disaster response—bringing X-ray imaging out of the clinic and into the real world
Abstract from Science Advances: All-inorganic metafabric scintillators for conformally flexible and wearable x-ray detection and imaging
Hat tip: Medical XPress
