Google and Levi Strauss are taking wearables to the next level with their Project Jacquard. It’s an initiative to create a touch-sensitive yarn that can facilitate communications with digital devices through your clothing.
It came about following Project Soli, which is a small radar sensor that tracks hand gestures so you don’t have to swipe your fingers across a screen on a watch or phone. Once that was perfected it was on to Project Jacquard where sensors are built into yarn or other fibres.
In presenting the notion of digital clothing, Google executives pointed out that your clothes could be used to control your mobile devices or even electronics in your home, or to track your state of health and/or physical activity. All it would take is a swipe of your hand or rubbing your fingers together over a part of your clothing. Socks could even track your day-to-day mileage on foot.
Tech fans and designers seem pretty pumped about the whole idea of smart textiles. Are you liking the idea? How do you see it fitting into your lifestyle?
By the Cel-Fi Team