Yeah, this definitely takes "Android Wear" to the next level. Integrating pieces of your outfit into your phone/watch will allow for a lot of subtle little tweaks to every day life:
* Leaving work but forgot your keys? The electromagnetic sensor in your pocket will vibrate your phone to let you know the moment you step out of the office.
* No more "three tap check" for keys, wallet, phone. Every time you leave the house your clothes will check that for you.
* Two-factor auth is a lot easier when you can authenticate by wearing special underwear
* Feeling cold? Your clothes can probably detect that and adjust the thermostat in your car or home automatically (including heated seats!)
Lots of cool ideas, but these ideas have been floating around for a while now. Every piece of wearable clothing I've seen that had integrated electronics has been both bulky and gaudy. Maybe a concentrated focus like this will bring it to the next level.
I don't see a single one of these applications actually being possible with this. The thread enables touch sensitivity on clothing; nothing more. There are no temperature sensors, RFID chips, electromagnetic sensors etc.
It's interesting that even Google didn't post a single use case for it...I can't think of one off the top of my head either.
"We developed innovative techniques to attach the conductive yarns to connectors and tiny circuits, no larger than the button on a jacket... LEDs, haptics, and other embedded outputs provide feedback to the user, seamlessly connecting them to the digital world."
* Leaving work but forgot your keys? The electromagnetic sensor in your pocket will vibrate your phone to let you know the moment you step out of the office.
* No more "three tap check" for keys, wallet, phone. Every time you leave the house your clothes will check that for you.
* Two-factor auth is a lot easier when you can authenticate by wearing special underwear
* Feeling cold? Your clothes can probably detect that and adjust the thermostat in your car or home automatically (including heated seats!)
Lots of cool ideas, but these ideas have been floating around for a while now. Every piece of wearable clothing I've seen that had integrated electronics has been both bulky and gaudy. Maybe a concentrated focus like this will bring it to the next level.