German researchers use AI to optimize textile recycling

A team at the Institute for Textile Technology in Augsburg is developing processes for mechanical textile recycling, studying how AI can be best used to break old fabrics down, process the fibers produced and make new yarn from it. The goal is to create stable, industrial grade yarns despite shorter recycled fibers. By setting up machines like on a real factory floor, the researchers can test workflows that companies will later be able to adopt directly.