They seek to find the best balance of yarn weight, stitch patterns, nylon color and at least 10 other variables.

WSJ: It Ain't Rocket Science, but Sock-Making Comes Close

The team of researchers from Australia, the US, Canada and South Korea demonstrated motors that could spin at nearly 600 revolutions per minute, turning a weight 2, 000 times heavier than the yarn itself.

BBC: Nanotube yarns twist like muscles