Google and the amazing touch-sensitive dreampants

Google just announced Project Jacquard, an effort to introduce interactivity into textiles. Swipe your sofa cushion to change the channel on your TV,¹ tap a special “knock” on your collar to unlock your front door, or control your party’s playlist with a few taps of your pants.

Update: Google and Levi’s are collaborating on a jacket that uses the Project Jacquard technology. They announced the collaboration last year:

With the Levi’s Commuter jacket, introduced in 2016, the technology comes to life through a conductive fabric and a Bluetooth device that attaches to the garment. The connected area consists of 15 threads on the left sleeve, just visible enough for you to know where to touch to trigger actions from a paired smartphone.

They just announced the price and availability: $350 and fall 2017.

1. Perhaps this is what Steve Jobs meant when he said of the Apple TV, “I finally cracked it”?↩

• fashion
• Google
• Levi’s
• Project Jacquard
• video