Google and Levi Straus have announced a smart jacket for commuters that allow wearers to make phone calls, listen to music, and control maps. This connected jacket's sleeve gives them access to the jean jacket's many functions. The Alphabet subsidiary and clothing company made the announcement at the Google I/O developer conference on May 20, Friday.
Google's Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) division teamed up with Levi, which is credited with inventing blue jeans. Last year at I/O the search and clothing giants unveiled Project Jacquard that focuses on connected clothing and textiles, according to Engadget
The technology includes conductive fabric that is woven into the article of clothing to make an interactive patch. It senses touch, pressure, and the hand's position.
A demo video of the Google/Levi connected jacket was shown at I/O 2016. It features a bicycle rider using the jacket's sleeve to control calls while peddling a bike through town.
A Jacquard sensor inside the sleeve's cuff connects the smart clothing to the Internet. The high-tech cuff provides haptic feedback and LED and is charged via a USB.
Meanwhile, a small Bluetooth-enabled loop connects the jacket's cuff to the web. Users can also choose which gestures they want to function with which mobile apps.
The jacket is machine washable, but the senor must be removed first. Music-streaming service Spotify and activity tracker Strava have also teamed up for the Jacquard platform.
Meanwhile, developers can access many application program interfaces (APIs) to make their apps function with Jacquard. It now just works with call and messaging apps.
Google announced that it plans to team up with other clothing companies. The reason is that there could be a big demand for smart athletic clothing in the spirit of Marty McFly's self-lacing shoes in "Back to the Future 2."
The price of the commuter smart jacket is unknown. However, the gesture, swipe, and tap functionality make cyclists the target market, according to ZDNet.
The new smart jacket from Google and Levi will be available in Spring 2017, and a beta version is set to launch in Fall 2016.
Project Jacquard is named after the looming process invented by Joseph Marie Jacquard. The weaving method can be used for making clothing such as jerseys.