Levi 'S And Google Push Interactive Smart Clothing

Levi's (Levi Strauss & Co.) is working with Google to create an interactive wearable device for jeans, jackets, shirts and even underwear.

At the recent Google Developers Conference, Project Jacquard was launched for the first time.

It can directly integrate the interactive technology applied to smart watches and smart glasses to textiles.

This kind of conductive yarn made by Google Japan company can hardly be changed to any type of textile without any change of loom.

Paul Dillinger, vice president of Levi's brand innovation, said, "with the introduction of this fabric, we and Google have been on the United Front.

Google has identified the product supply chain, and we do not need to refit any textile machine. "

"Fundamentally speaking, clothing will be designed as an intelligent platform rather than an intelligent device."

He added that at the Google Developers Conference in California, the door to smart clothing has been opened.

Levi's expects products to be launched by Project Jacquard in the autumn of 2016.

"We have been looking for this conductive yarn over the past 20 years," said Ivan Poupyrev, head of Google technology and product group technology project.

What we do is to integrate interactive elements into textiles.

We will insert a kind of interface that can connect smart phones or tablet computers into the yarn. The size of the interface will contain a power supply and Bluetooth connection function as Levi's ordinary buttons.

Compared with Levi's and Google's efforts to develop interactive wearable devices, most wearable technologies are limited to the field of clothing accessories, including Google glasses. In addition, the combination of more wearable technology and traditional clothing tends to biometrics devices, such as Polo Tech shirts launched by Ralph Lauren.

Two top executives agreed that the project

It will be developers.

"This is not an official release," Dillinger said. "This is a chance to show.

We didn't expect it to open up a new form and application mode.

The advantage is that all the senses are derived from gestures, such as crossing legs, sliding hands, waving, lifting and so on.

Talking about Google and

The origin of cooperation, Poupyrev said that the two companies first communicated in the Google office last year, and both sides were well aware of the predictable obstacles, but they thought the potential rate of return was too high for people to miss.

He said, "let this be."

You need to produce products in large quantities, but this is contrary to the ecology of fashion circles. Fashion is not allowed to produce a large number of single products.

We are not producing military uniforms.

Fashion means diversity, and this technology can be applied to any kind of spinning and clothing, including pure silk or underwear. "

Clothing equipped with Jacquard technology can also trigger the function of mobile phones or tablet computers.

Two executives have foreseen the impact of the new wearable technology ahead of time.

Dillinger pointed out that "this will be an opportunity for us to get rid of mobile phones and reintegrate into the real world."

Poupyrev recognizes that "people are eager to return to simple fashion.

Up to now, how to add equipment on the basis of user's existing equipment has always been a difficult problem to solve.

Because it means buying again, and getting used to carrying another thing.

Clothes are the most basic equipment.

So adding new technology to clothes is the easiest way for people to accept it.

Google executives pointed out that the conductive yarns developed by Japanese companies are not only of different widths but also of various colors.

He refused to indicate the name of the company, but he said that the conductive yarn developed earlier was "very ugly, single color, expensive and insufficient in electrical conductivity."

When Project Jacquard enters the next stage, the yarn development company will expand production.

"I have never seen any of their projects."

Dillinger of Levi's said.

Dillinger believes that the company's innovative attempt to integrate interactive wearable technology into clothing is a new start. Just like the middle of the nineteenth Century, Levi's founder Levi Strauss set up a dry goods store for gold diggers in San Francisco.

"At that time, he seized the opportunity," he said.

"Where is the opportunity today? I think it's Silicon Valley."