Yarns and fabrics that bend or stiffen under magnetic fields

Soft fibres that adapt their form and mechanical properties reversibly and rapidly under a magnetic field that is safe for human health have been developed and used to make yarns and fabrics. These programmable fibrous assemblies could be applied in soft robotics and wearable technologies. Fibrous materials with functionalities controlled by a magnetic field can be used to produce smart textiles that are wearable.