Photo of Guatemalan women conversing outside a house with several colorful woven containers.

The objective of this project is to design and develop a textile wearable such as a cloth backpack, scarf, or other clothing accessory which performs 2 critical functions. First, the textile wearable can warn people about specific toxins/harmful bacteria/viruses in their drinking water, and secondly, the textile wearable can filter out toxins, bacteria and viruses from water to make it drinkable.

The Wearable Water Filter is to be used in the various regions of the globe where access to clean water is a problem. The wearable is to be made of a lightweight, washable, woven fabric structure which uses yarns and fibers in the warp and weft threads which change color, shape, or density to warn people that certain toxins are present. The wearable will also be connected to a smartphone application to warn other people in the area about the toxicity in the water. A second function of the wearable is to filter and cleanse the water by using specific kinds of yarns which eliminate or reduce toxins/harmful bacteria and viruses. The yarns used to make the wearable textile may also be coated with different finishes which can eliminate or neutralize toxins/harmful bacteria and viruses depending upon the region. The intention is for the Wearable Water Filter to be woven with different yarns of different properties, and coated with different elements depending upon the toxins/harmful bacteria and viruses causing diseases in specific regions. The nature and function of the wearable as an article of clothing may change depending upon the region and cultural practices of the people.

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