Google and Levi's to Launch Smart Jacket
Posted on May 21, 2016
The lines between tech and fashion continue to blur with the latest wearables. The latest development is a smart jacket that Google is working on with Levi's. It will be called the Levi's commuter trucker jacket.
The wearer of the touch-sensitive jacket can control their phone, block and answer phone calls and access certain apps, such as Google Maps. The key to the technology is a tag embedded in the sleeve of the jacket called the Jacquard tag. This tag makes the cuff and lower sleeve of the jacket touch-sensitive so the wearer can control their phone and music using Bluetooth.
TechCrunch notes that the connector points for the Jacquard tag is the button-hole of the jacket which helps obscure the tech. The tag connects to a sensor woven into the garment. The tag can be removed and charged. The jacket can be washed.
The jacket is expected to be available in spring 2017. Pricing has not yet been announced. The Jacquard tag concept could be used in many different types of garments in the future. Levi's released this video of a biker wearing and using the jacket to control music and block a call from his boss. Take a look: