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POWER THAT BENDS 73Wear a wireIntelligent textiles are fabrics and garments that can sense, process, upload and download data. They can monitor general health and medical conditions. They can also capture and store energy from sunlight and body heat, and use it to power other devices. They can even heat up, cool down, change colour and respond to their environment. Of course, as garments, these textiles must be comfortable, breathable and soft to the skin. With their advanced features and futuristic appeal, it comes as no surprise that sports junkies, health enthusiasts and even Instagram celebrities eagerly await the latest products. Experts predict that the market for wearable electronics will be worth over US$150 billion annually by 2026. That being said, wearable electronics can only be as good as their batteries %u2013 the lighter and smaller a wearable device is, the harder it is to store enough energy for a decent running time. To complicate the issue further, batteries in intelligent textiles need to be flexible and washable. With these challenges in mind, Prof. Zijian ZHENG, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, led a research team to develop a high-performance textile-based rechargeable Prof. Zheng received his Bachelor of Engineering degree in Chemical Engineering from Tsinghua University (2003) and his PhD in Chemistry from University of Cambridge, UK (2007). After a short period of postdoctoral training at Northwestern University, US, he joined PolyU in 2009 as Assistant Professor. His research focuses on developing soft materials and devices for wearable, skin-attachable, and implantable electronics. Prof. Zheng has published around 250 papers in high-impact journals such as Science, Nature, Nature Materials, Nature Electronics, Advanced Materials, etc. He has also filed more than 50 patents, and delivered more than 200 invited talks at international conferences. Prof. Zijian ZHENG Chair Professor of Soft Materials and Devices, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical TechnologyDirector, PolyU-Daya Bay Technology and Innovation Research InstituteAssociate Director, Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable SystemsAssociate Director, University Research Facility in Materials Characterization and Device FabricationFounderEightOSix Technology Company Limited