Last week Google
unveiled a wealth of new innovations and initiatives at its annual I/O
developer conference, and one of the big reveals was Project Jacquard. Its part
of the Google ATAP (Advanced Technology and Projects) division and it's the
company's plan for the future of clothing: touch-sensitive materials that you
can interact with in the same way as your smartphone display. Project Jacquard
uses touch-sensitive, metallic yarns that are weaved in with normal material -
cotton, silk or polyester - to give it the kind of capabilities that you don't
usually find outside of science fiction movies. The yarn is connected to a
small receiver and controller the size of a button, with the idea that one day
you might be able to tap your lapel to switch on the washing machine, or flick
your cuff to change the volume on your smart television set. One of the demos
that Google showed off at I/O 2015 was a touch-enabled outfit controlling a set
of Philips Hue lights.
A quick tap on
the clothing turned the lights on and off, while swiping left and right changed
the colour, and swiping up and down adjusted the brightness. You wouldn't have
to take your phone out of your jeans pocket to do all this - the pocket itself
would act as the controller. Monitoring capabilities can be included too, so
your pillow could track your breathing or your t-shirt could monitor your heart
rate without the need for any other equipment. Google is expecting to work with
a number of different partners on the technology in the future, and already has
an agreement in place with denim manufacturer Levi Strauss & Co in the US.
What makes the technology so exciting is its invisibility. There's no need to wear
a clunky headset or a smart wristwatch to get connected. Project Jacquard is
still at the early stages, but a lot of progress has been made in a short space
of time, and Google thinks the interactive yarn will have an important role to
play in our sartorial future.
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