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The zipper is getting its first major upgrade in 100 years

wired.com

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Re: The zipper is getting its first major upgrade in 100 years

#51

Post by behnamoh »

> That incremental progress mirrors YKK’s founding philosophy, the “Cycle of Goodness.” The principle—that no one prospers without benefiting others—has supposedly guided the company for decades. It’s visible in its other micro-improvements: corrosion-resistant alloys, sound-dampened sliders, recyclable polyester tapes. AiryString continues that tradition, shrinking the zipper’s physical and environmental footprint at once.

This is alien to SF AI startups and patent trolls.

Re: The zipper is getting its first major upgrade in 100 years

#56

Post by helterskelter »

> When asked what zippers might look like in 50 years, Nishizaki doesn’t talk about smart fabrics or AI-assisted closures. He returns to YKK’s mantra: “Little parts. Big difference.”

AI-assisted closures? I'm struggling to imagine a use case. Surely this is humor...

Re: The zipper is getting its first major upgrade in 100 years

#57

Post by tempaccount420 »

empiricus wrote: post #54

tangent: all my pants have zipper pockets. after almost losing my phone in a taxi in dubai a long time ago, I always get pants with zippers, even though I do not always close them...

Do you find it hard to buy new pants? I wish there was a search engine for clothes...

Re: The zipper is getting its first major upgrade in 100 years

#58

Post by bobthepanda »

nmeofthestate wrote: post #44

Looks very cool, but absolutely laughable that they tried to sell an environmental angle. I don't say that because it's "actually the opposite" or anything like that - the impact either way will be fuck all.

In the grand scheme of textiles, which actually are a major source of environmental harm, it’s probably the choice of textile that would impact emissions the most. Cotton is one of the most water hungry crops we grow and resulted in the drying up of the Aral Sea; animal products have all the emissions associated with animal farming; and synthetics are generally petroleum based.

Re: The zipper is getting its first major upgrade in 100 years

#59

Post by tempestn »

mrits wrote: post #38
the__alchemist wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What I can't figure out is how the new version attached to the fabric. That's at the core of this right? Metal-fabric interface.

They found a worse way to create a worse zipper with a proprietary machine that no one owns . This is the future

It's not worse; it's different, and better for some applications. Specifically when high flexibility and/or sleek appearance are valued above cost and durability. One example that immediately comes to mind is zip-up pockets in athletic wear.

Re: The zipper is getting its first major upgrade in 100 years

#60

Post by tempestn »

konart wrote: post #48
iancmceachern wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This doesn't change that, I expect you can still remove this a zipper and have another sewn on, just as before

You can, but you (or rather atelier\studio) will have to buy a special machine to do so.

If these become commonplace, so will such machines.
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