A team has developed magnetoactive textiles made on industrial knitting machines that combine wireless charging, biomechanical sensing and haptic feedback in a single garment. The yarns pair magnetic materials with conductors, so the fabric works at once as an antenna, a deformation sensor and an actuator that vibrates when a magnetic field is applied.

The work addresses an open problem in wearable electronics: until now, energy, sensing and response functions were achieved with rigid patches sewn onto cloth, limiting comfort and durability. By knitting the components directly into the stitch structure, the garment keeps the flexibility, breathability and mechanical behaviour of a conventional textile.

The method uses programmable knitting machines that interlace magnetoactive yarns with conductive yarns in defined patterns. Wireless charging occurs by induction between the textile and an external source; biomechanical sensing exploits signal changes as the knit deforms during movement; and haptic response is produced by vibrating the magnetic yarns under alternating fields.

Integrating the three functions in one fabric opens the door to garments that recharge without connectors, monitor body movement and return tactile stimuli to the user. Potential applications include rehabilitation, extended reality and human-machine interfaces, along with scalable manufacturing that takes advantage of existing textile infrastructure.