Google working with Levi Strauss to make smart clothes
SAN FRANCISCO - Google announced Friday that it is working with iconic U.S. jean maker Levi Strauss to make clothing from specially woven fabric with touch-screen control capabilities.
The Internet titan used its annual developers conference in San Francisco to reveal its so-called Project Jacquard and to spotlight Levi Strauss as its first partner.
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The special threads can be woven into a wide array of fabrics, and be made to visually stand out or go unnoticed depending on designers' wishes.
Conductivity can be limited to desired parts of fabric or spread across entire cloth.
"It is stretchable; it is washable," Karagozler said as people controlled lights or computer screens with finger strokes on a blue cloth covering a table in the display area behind him.
"It is just like normal fabric."
Project Jacquard makes it possible to weave touch and gesture interactivity into any textile using standard, industrial looms, according to Google.
Anything involving fabric, from suits or dresses to furniture or carpet, could potentially have computer touch-pad style control capabilities woven
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"In our hyper-digital world, people constantly struggle to be physically present in their environment while maintaining a digital connection," said Levi Straus's head of global product innovation Paul Dillinger, who took part in a Google presentation at the gathering.
"The work that Google and Levi's are embarking upon with Project Jacquard delivers an entirely new value to consumers with apparel that is emotional, aspirational and functional."
This is how we choose to use our technical prowess in the twenty-first century. And what we think wealthy consumers will want to spend their excess cash on. At least the actual technology is transferable, even if the application is frivolous. Surely the most ridiculous story of the day...
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