Five textile industry leaders are transforming apparel moisture management with a new innovation.
Swiss-Norwegian startup Osmotex, along with Swiss textile manufacturer Schoeller Textil AG, sportswear brand KJUS, wearable technology company Belginova and Swiss-based Empa, debuted Hydro_Bot, a new moisture management technology. Hydro_Bot will be a solution for moisture transportation issues in protective, sports and work apparel. The technology obtains a moisture transport that matches human sweat rates, which keeps the body cool in various climates and physical activities.
“Hydro_Bot is the result of 10 years of intense research and development in Switzerland,” Osmotex director of R&D and operations Trond Heldal said. “Over the past two years, the development has reached a new level with four strategic partners involved in the development effort.”
Osmotex will work with its four partners, including Schoeller Textile AG, KJUS, Belginova and Empa, to foster Hydro_Bot’s market development. Schoeller Textil AG is the production partner for Hydro_Bot panels. KJUS is Hydro_Bot’s primary product development partner and will be the first textile brand to incorporate Hydro_Bot in 2018/2019 skiwear products. As Hydro_Bot’s technology partner, Belginova, will deliver Hydro_Bot products through its own brand, 30seven, and supply operating systems for Hydro_Bot application in garments. Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, will work together with Osmotex and the other industry companies to ensure Hydro_Bot’s durability and performance under different conditions.
“The consumer is the central focus of our developments. We want to support people in their work, leisure and sporting activities with intelligent textile products,” Schoeller Textile AG CEO Siegfried Winkelbeiner said. “We are very excited about the prospects for Hydro_Bot as we see a great synergy for even smarter textile performance.”