A team of academics from across the world has created a smart towel that changes colour to let the user know when it needs washing.
When it comes to items such as underwear or sports kits, the norm is to wear them once and then toss them in the laundry as they have come into close contact with bacteria and sweat etc.
But for products such as towels, it can be difficult to know when to wash them, and usually it is the unpleasant musty smell that indicates it's time for a clean.
Now, a team of MIT PhD holders and academics from across the world have designed and created the world's first smart towel that tells you when it's dirty via colour changing stripes that sense impurities.
“We are in the midst of a technological Renaissance,” says the founding team of Mizu, “and the middle class is growing worldwide. This means that many consumers across the globe care about hygiene more than, say, their parents or grandparents did.
"These consumers are looking to technology to solve their problems. We saw a great opportunity here to create a product that was desirable and that had a positive impact.”
How it works
The Mizu towel works on two fronts – it prevents bacterial growth and detects contaminants via a colour-changing stripe (known as Mizutech) that changes from blue to red when dirty. The colour change is due to a special dye made from a blend of natural plant extracts.
Pure 100% silver is woven into the cotton fibres of the Mizu Towel. This all-natural element inhibits bacteria from growing and keeps the towel 99% free of disease-causing microbes.
Silver naturally carries a positive charge and upon contact with bacteria, the silver strips an electron from the bacteria's membrane, which prevents its reproduction and destroying it.
Other impurities like oil, dirt, sweat, and chemicals are detected by the patented Mizutech stripes.
To test that the towels work, you can use something with a similar chemistry to sweat, such as the drink Sprite, and it will most likely show a change. The towels can be washed as normal and the contamination strip resets when clean.
The towels are made from Xinjiang cotton and are constructed using Japanese techniques straight from the city of Imabari. Thanks to Mizu’s twisted yarn weave, the textiles are durable and travel-friendly. They dry three times faster than regular towels, making them ideal for trips to the pool or the gym.
After months of development and testing by Cornell and MIT laureates, Mizu has launched on ecommerce. Mizu ships worldwide and is available for purchase at www.mizutowel.com
