The textiles of tomorrow are still on the drawing board. But one day—maybe not so long from now—they could take humans to outer space, make soldiers invisible, keep people in touch with their friends, and move buildings.

Get a taste of what awaits you in print from this compelling excerpt.

The size and scope of such dreams about textiles of the future made my head spin. Visions of flying hotels, spider silk pulled from the milk of a genetically altered goat, a smart bra that knew when to shape up, a disappearing cloth bag being evaluated by the French Atomic Energy Commission for who-knows-what made me long for something simple and uncomplicated.

Something, it turned out, exactly like the bright yellow pillow the size of a magazine that Asha Peta Thompson showed me at the Design for Life Centre at Brunel University in the south of England. "It's a television remote control for somebody with motor-skill problems," Thompson, a weaver, explained. The pillow, which has large numbers and volume control icons embroidered on it, relies on a switch made of a layer of mesh sandwiched between two layers of copper-coated nylon, allowing a person lacking manual dexterity and strength to manage the controls.

It was functional, simple, and fun. It should be, Thompson explained. She has the admirable mission of not only designing products for people with disabilities but also making those things so appealing that able-bodied people will want them too.

Thompson also showed me a soft fabric mat that a child with cerebral palsy could sit on and, by leaning forward or back, use as a joystick for video games. The marriage between textiles and technology made perfect sense, she said. "We surround ourselves with textiles. You come out of the womb, and they wrap you in a cloth; then they put you away in a coffin in a cloth. When you get out of the bath, you wrap yourself in a towel. It seems natural that what we wear should be combined with technology."

Get the whole story in the pages of National Geographic magazine.

VIDEO From balancing carbon-fiber engine valves to controlling a garment-clad cow, photographer Cary Wolinsky went the distance to set up his high-tech textile shots.

To illustrate this article, the photographer manipulated some images, but today's technology makes some altered photos difficult to detect. When does image manipulation go too far?

Pageable pants? Heart-monitoring T-shirts? This is functional fashion of the future. And with clothes this smart, the sky's the limit. What would you like your clothes to do for you?