Rice mechanical engineers turning everyday fabrics into new channel of communication

When Rice University doctoral candidate Barclay Jumet first launched a high school business designing, making and selling bow ties — learning to sew on his mother’s college sewing machine — he never imagined that same skill set would one day help him reinvent how people communicate. Today alongside adviser Daniel J. Preston, Jumet is co-founder of Actile Technologies, a startup transforming everyday fabrics into smart, touch-based communication devices.

“Every device around us is constantly competing for our eyes and ears,” Jumet said. “We wanted to create a way to deliver information that doesn’t add to that burden or distraction. The language of touch is a powerful channel already used in everyday interactions. Now with our technology, we open up that mode of communication through the clothing we already wear.”

The idea originated in the Preston Innovation Laboratory at Rice, which explores technologies at the intersection of energy, materials and fluids. Jumet’s doctoral research focuses on soft robotics and “programming” textiles to interact with the body. Working with Preston and collaborators, he developed new ways for fabrics to deliver haptic cues — squeezes, vibrations, heating and cooling — through lightweight, flexible materials.

“One of the technologies that came out of the lab is something we call fluidic logic,” said Preston, assistant professor of mechanical engineering. “Instead of using electronics, we use pressures and flows of air within the textile to generate signals. It makes the fabric more robust and adaptable. Barclay took that core research and turned it into a wearable platform with incredible potential.”

With support from Rice’s Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Lilie), Jumet became a Rice Innovation Fellow and later a Rice Commercialization Fellow, paving the way for Actile’s launch in late 2024.

Actile’s garments look and feel like ordinary uniforms or athletic wear, but woven inside are channels and conductive fibers that can deliver distinct sensations. These sensations act as signals the body can instantly recognize without requiring sight or sound.

“If your uniform can gently tap your shoulder or squeeze your arm to signal a direction, you don’t need to keep your eyes on a screen or have audio interrupt your focus,” Jumet said. “The feedback is discreet, immediate and enables the user to keep their eyes and ears on their environment instead of their devices.”

The platform is flexible enough to integrate multiple functions: tactile cues for communication, warming elements for cold environments and even nonelectronic cooling systems that can dissipate body heat much like a phone’s or laptop’s cooling system — critical for athletes in pads or soldiers in body armor.

The company’s initial focus is on defense applications, where fast, low-signature communication can save lives. Soldiers in combat often operate in environments where vision and hearing are impaired. Actile’s fabrics allow commanders to transmit silent, secure signals without revealing positions but still enabling high levels of information to come through in a nondistracting way.

“This is about reducing the cognitive bottleneck,” Preston explained. “Modern warfighters are flooded with information. By shifting some of that to the sense of touch, we free up their eyes and ears for the mission-critical tasks at hand.”

Actile’s research has already shown that haptic communication through textiles is highly effective at delivering information. The startup was recently named a finalist in NATO’s DIANA accelerator program for up to 400,000 euros in funding and is competing in the U.S. Army’s xTechSearch 9 program, having already earned $5,000 in the first round with a chance to pitch for additional funding. It has also secured $50,000 from Rice’s One Small Step Grant and $50,000 from the National Science Foundation I-Corps program to accelerate development.

While defense is the first market, Actile is also communicating with Rice Athletics to explore applications in sports. Discreet, on-body feedback could improve posture, reaction time and rehabilitation — whether on the football field or in the training room.

“The same technology that can guide a warfighter in the field can help an athlete recover faster, move more efficiently or be more aware of their surroundings,” Jumet said.

Looking ahead, Jumet said Actile has opportunities in emergency response, industrial safety and even medical rehabilitation for patients with sensory impairments. The company is also advancing its textile heating and cooling platforms with potential to keep workers safe in extreme climates or improve comfort in spacesuits and protective gear.

Behind Actile’s rapid progress is a network of Rice programs, mentors and resources. The startup has been supported through Lilie, Rice’s Office of Technology Transfer and collaborations with other Rice labs, including Marcia O’Malley’s Mechatronics and Haptic Interfaces Lab and Vanessa Sanchez’s texlab that develop wearable materials and systems.

“Rice has been incredible in helping us translate laboratory research into real-world solutions,” Preston said. “From funding and mentorship to patent support, we’ve had the runway to turn an idea into a company that can have real impact.”