Tcu Fashion Merchandising Tackles Real-world Problems With Wearable Technology

This fall, TCU’s Department of Fashion Merchandising launched the Athlete Equipment and Materials Design Lab. Students and researchers can now create, test and validate their own innovations in wearable technology.

Charles Freeman, chair of TCU’s Department of Fashion Merchandising, said the space was designed to meet professional standards.

“We didn’t want to build just another research lab,” Freeman said. “We wanted to look at building an industry-quality and industry-caliber lab.”

The lab’s new equipment can test how materials respond to heat, moisture and movement, with potential applications for everyone from athletes to astronauts.

The lab is part of research efforts connected to TCU’s Roach Institute of Athlete Engineering, which launched with a $10 million gift from the Roach Foundation of Fort Worth.

Several projects are already underway.

TCU is working with Texas A&M University to test and develop materials used in prosthetic liners for Paralympians and people with lower limb loss. TCU is also partnering with UNT Health to develop wearable sensors for arm sleeves that will aid with rehabilitation.

Researchers are also planning a project with the Horned Frog Marching Band that Freeman hopes will eventually provide heat-regulating uniforms.

The updated lab equipment builds on student success in design competitions involving organizations such as NASA and Blue Origin. Freeman said students can now create their own sensors and materials instead of mainly testing existing technology, giving him high hopes for future contests.

About six students are currently involved in research projects at the new lab. Freeman hopes that number will eventually grow to 30 or 40 undergraduate researchers.

His long-term goal is to give those students the resources to take an idea beyond the classroom and potentially solve a real-world problem. “I want to be able to make that idea real,” Freeman said. “And that’s what this lab gives us the capability to do.”

Anyone interested in learning more about the lab is encouraged to reach out to Freeman and schedule a tour.