Google (Photo : REUTERS)
Tech giant Google recently announced that it will tap the services of clothes manufacturer Levi Strauss in order to develop and manufacture smart clothing. The project was called Project Jacquard.
According to CNet, Project Jacquard aims to produce smart clothes by weaving conductive yarns. The project was announced at Google's annual developer's conference held in San Francisco. The project's codename is a homage to the Frenchman responsible for inventing the loom.
The project is handled by the secretive Advanced Technology and Projects division of Google. This division is different from Google X lab which is responsible for developing self-driving cars.
According to Business Insider, the main focus of the joint project from Google and Levi Strauss is to produce interactive textiles. Clothes woven with this special thread can have touch-screen capabilities. These conductive yarns was developed along with several textile makers based in Japan.
The yarns used in Project Jacquard is composed of ultra-thin metallic alloy and common yarns like cotton, silk or polyester. A demo presented by Google showed how a fabric woven with interactive yarns can control a smartphone's music player. A simple touch to the fabric can turn the music player on and off while swiping gestures can control volume as well as change tracks.
In order to fully power the new technology, Google engineered a computer that can control the textile-based wearable. The computer is capable of picking up touch interactions as well as gestures. The computer is also programmed to receive sensors through wireless communication and can transmit data to smartphone's within its range.
Project Jacquard plans to integrate its newly developed technology into everyday clothing items like jackets and sweaters.
