“Those Han looms weren’t just for luxury,” an unnamed Beijing-based science historian told the South China Morning Post (SCMP). “They were like early binary computers, storing weaving codes in physical memory. Today’s military engineers seem to have revived that wisdom,” they added.
Archaeologists trace jacquard’s origins to the Shang dynasty (1600- 1046 BC) looms, on which artisans wove geometric patterns using manual “multi-heddle” systems. These later evolved into sophisticated machines with up to 120 heddle rods – a technology preserved in the world’s first jacquard weaving machine unearthed at Chengdu’s Laoguanshan Tombs.
The team found that integrating conductive yarns into a warp-knitted “double-sided jacquard” structure enabled the new RAM to absorb 90.6% of radar waves in the 8-26GHz spectrum, outperforming conventional coatings. According to the team led by Professor Jiang Qian, the material is a “marriage of ancient patterning and modern electromagnetism.”