In probably one of the most unlikely collaborations ever, American clothing company Levi Strauss and internet giant Google team up to create a denim jacket that responds to smartphones.
Google and Levi Strauss said that they have developed a jacket that has touch and gesture controls, which has the capability to connect to and interact with the wearer's smartphone by swiping at the jacket in various ways.
Levi Strauss' innovation chief Paul Dillinger did a demo on the final day of Google's I/O Developer Conference, wearing what was said as a prototype of the jacket. During the demo, Dillinger showed how to play music, pause, and skip tracks by swiping at the jacket. Dillinger said that the jacket will allow users to answer calls, fiddle with the music app, and more, without actually pulling out the smartphone, perfect for when users are driving or biking on a busy road. "Anybody who rides a bike knows it's a terrible idea to try to navigate the screen of your phone while you're navigating busy city streets," Dillinger said. "This becomes a copilot for your ride and your life."
Dillinger also said that the entire jacket is waterproof, except for a "smart tag" that serves as an on and off button for the connectivity between the clothing and the smartphone. The smart tag is detachable, however, and once you remove the tag, the jacket can be washed just like any other normal clothing.
The collaboration was announced at last year's I/O Conference, with the launch of Google's Project Jacquard, developed by Google's Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) Group. With its tagline "Technology woven in," Project Jacquard describes the process of creating interactive textiles, made possible by conductive yarns. Project Jacquard has also detailed how the yarn can be interwoven with traditional fabrics, ensuring that the process is cost-effective, and would not look differently from any other piece of clothing, providing a "blank canvas for the fashion industry". Watch the Project Jacquard video below.
Google and Levi's has not put on a price tag on the jacket yet, but it should be available in Spring 2017.
