Robo-top: The machines that could make your next t-shirt

Robots currently dominate industries ranging from automotive assembly and surgical procedures to airport logistics. Yet, hand these same machines a needle and thread, and they are likely to fail. This technological limitation explains why the vast majority of the world’s clothing is still assembled by hand, frequently by low-wage laborers in Asia. While these workers utilize tools like sewing machines, fully automating the process remains a significant hurdle. "You have a problem if it's sewing," explains Cam Myers, the founder and CEO of California-based robotics firm CreateMe. "You have to keep [two pieces of fabric] in alignment under motion."

CreateMe has opted for an alternative strategy: bypassing sewing entirely by adhering fabric pieces together. "Once the adhesive is laid down, you simply line something over it and stamp," Myers notes. The company has already developed robots capable of this technique and is currently manufacturing women’s underwear using this method. Plans are underway to start producing t-shirts within the next few months, with mass production potentially launching the following year.

For decades, roboticists have targeted the garment manufacturing sector. If machines could successfully take over these tasks, clothing production could return to Western nations, significantly reducing the environmental impact of the industry. However, this shift would also jeopardize the livelihoods of millions of textile workers. Currently, only a small percentage of clothes sold in the UK are domestically produced, a trend mirrored in the United States. Myers reports that he has clients interested in marketing garments as "made in the US," utilizing domestic materials like American cotton. "We can use cotton, we can use wool, we can use leather," he says regarding the adhesive-based process. He adds that if automation were to bring just 10% of t-shirt manufacturing back to the US, it would trigger a massive shift in the industry.

Myers insists that the thermoset adhesive used by CreateMe is durable enough to withstand ironing and washing machine temperatures without melting or causing the garments to fall apart. Furthermore, because these items lack traditional seams, they are more streamlined and can be produced on molds that conform to the human body’s contours. Despite these innovations, Myers acknowledges a major challenge in apparel: its high flexibility. "You won't get very far if you just make white t-shirts," he admits. Consumers desire a vast variety of designs, colors, and fits, and clothes-producing robots are still far from replicating this diversity.

There is also ongoing debate regarding the fundamental approach to automated garment creation. "We don't believe that sewing is going away," states Palaniswanyi Rajan, chairman and CEO of Georgia-based Softwear Automation. He highlights that visible stitching remains a crucial design element in many fashion items, particularly jeans. Rajan claims his company will soon unveil the third generation of its sewing robots, which he asserts will produce t-shirts at a cost competitive with importing them to the US. However, he has refused to disclose specific technical details about the technology.

Competition for a share of the massive apparel market is fierce, leading multiple firms interviewed by the BBC to withhold information about their robotic processes. Meanwhile, textile workers are already facing intense pressure, having endured factory closures during the pandemic and supply chain disruptions caused by the war in Iran, which has affected polyester availability. While industry advocates suggest that workers should transition to higher-paying, less repetitive roles, replacing t-shirt production with robots will not achieve this transition instantly.

One significant advantage of automating garment manufacturing, however, is the potential to drastically lower the industry's environmental footprint. Globally, 92 million tonnes of textile waste are generated annually, with large quantities of unsold clothing burned. The sector also consumes immense amounts of water. "If you can re-shore the manufacturing part, you can just produce there on-demand," says Gerald Feichtinger at the Technical University of Munich.

Source: BBC News Generated at: 2026-05-18 23:04:14 UTC