15 years in the making, the ‘bionic bra’ is almost ready to hit the stores

Believe it or not, a skilled team of engineers and developers has been working on a bra for almost two decades. As you can imagine, though, this is no ordinary brassiere: rather, it’s an intelligent piece of clothing that is one step closer to reality now that the group has access to technologies capable of performing the tasks they first envisioned 15 years ago. 

The “bionic bra,” as it is being referred to, was recently discussed at the 9th Australasian Biomechanics conference. Professor Gordon Wallace, Executive Research Director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (based at UOW), said that the group’s access to recently discovered new actuators and sensing technologies will soon bring their bra to life. 

“Our ability to make things from advanced materials has been greatly enhanced recently with the advent of new approaches to fabrication. The advent of approaches such as 3D printing has enabled us to assemble structures containing new sensing technologies to more accurately monitor movement and new artificial muscle technologies to control it. These advances have inspired us to (re)confront the challenges involved in creating the Bionic Bra,” Professor Wallace said. 

Professor Julie Steele, Director of Breast Research Australia (BRA), based at UOW, has been working with Professor Wallace on the bra since the idea was first introduced. She explained that without proper support, long-term physical damage can occur; this includes numbness in the fingers (caused by compression of nerves on the shoulders) as well as neck and back pain.

“Unfortunately, the most supportive sports bras tend to be the most uncomfortable to wear,” she said. “Making matters worse, BRA research has found that 85% of women are wearing bras that do not fit or support their breasts correctly.”

Bionic Bra team member Dr. Sheridan added, “Results indicate that our technologies can sense breast motion and provide additional breast support. The challenge now is to integrate these technologies into a functional, comfortable bra.” 

While the team has made significant improvements to their device, there are still some things that need to be worked out before it goes to market. 

“Although we have made substantial progress, we still have a way to go before the Bionic Bra can be taken from the bench top to the washing machine. However, when finished, the Bionic Bra will transform bra design,” she said.

Via the University of Wollongong