Yarns and fabrics that bend or stiffen under magnetic fields

Nature, Published online: 26 November 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-03745-7

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.