On the 31st, Nature reported a new method jointly developed by Singaporean and Chinese scientists to make fibers for built-in electronic components, which can be used in wearable electronic devices. Its potential applications include hats that can sense changes in traffic lights (which can help visually impaired individuals), as well as flexible devices for heart monitoring. Hundreds of meters of high-performance flexible semiconductor fibers are wound around a cylindrical spool, with some prefabricated rods that have undergone manufacturing processes next to them. Image source: Nanyang University of Technology/Nature: A wearable electronic component that can detect and process signals, made from fibers containing semiconductor devices. But the manufacturing process may produce defects that limit the performance of these fibers. A joint team of researchers from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and several institutions assessed the fiber manufacturing process to determine how the fracture and defect were generated. Using this information, they modified the processing technology and the combination method of semiconductors and fiber materials to produce high-performance flexible fibers with optoelectronic properties. To demonstrate the ability of this material, the research team created a series of experimental devices. For example, they weave fibers into a hat that can sense the light signals of traffic lights, providing assistance to visually impaired individuals. The light signal detected by the hat is transmitted to the phone to remind the user when the traffic light changes from red to green. The team also incorporated fibers into the wristband to create a wearable heart monitor, which has performance comparable to commercially available devices but is more wrist fitting than rigid sensors. These fibers also exhibit durability and waterproofing under compression conditions. In simultaneous news and opinion articles, researchers from Virginia Tech believe that this work "has achieved a leap in the direction of embedding microcomputers into everyday clothing.". (Lai Xin She)