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Clothing Yourself In Technology

Posted by timothy on from the gosh-cotton-is-still-nice dept.

Sixyphe writes "Burton Snowboards has just released a very, very nice snowboarding jacket called the Analog Clone. It includes a padded pouch designed to hold a Sony MZ-N1 MiniDisc player and, more importantly, a large textile control pad on the left arm that acts as a remote control for the MD player. This pad is based on technology from SOFTswitch, a UK company. Production, 100 units, price tag, around 1000US$, MZ-N1 included. Not the first textile-based application I've seen (textile keyboards have been around for a while, I believe), but a nice one. This is cool, geeky, musical, sporty and damn useful all at once. Wow. The part I like best is where they mention that the coat is machine-washable when the MD player is removed. Thanks to minidisc.org for the tip." skratchjerk writes "Financial Times has a short article about Levi Strauss' new anti-radiation jeans. They state that 'The trousers, to be launched in the UK next year under Levi's Dockers brand, contain mobile phone pockets with "anti-radiation lining to prevent possible health risks".' I guess it's about time we protected 'the boys.'" Update: 09/13 21:13 GMT by T : The updated Burton link should make the folks at Burton happier ;)

3 of 218 comments (clear)

  1. spindles? by [amorphis] · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Minidisc??

    Why not something solid-state, like MP3 or OGG?

    Built in 802.11b would be cool, too, so you could download new songs while waiting on the chairlift :)

  2. Thoughts on expensive jackets, future innovations by m_chan · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I spend a lot of time in weather that is less than pleasant, under conditions where good gear makes a big difference. Audio hardware integrated into your clothing to make it easier to listen to music while riding is not necessarily very safe, as evidenced by numerous incidents of which I am aware where riders have hit snow cats and other riders while oblivious to external sounds. That aside, it sure is fun, being so free on the mountain while listening to your favorite tunes.

    I witnessed an experience of a friend of mine about 15 or 20 years ago that makes me think twice whenever I want to drop a few hundred dollars on a new coat.

    I was skiing with a teammate on our racing team. She took a fall as we were heading toward the lift line and slid through a plastic mesh fence. Her arm got stuck in the fence as she slid underneath, resulting in a compound fracture. When the Ski Patrol came to extract her from the fence and get her to a care facility, they had to cut off her rather new $300 Descente racing jacket.

    I remember, in between her yelling about how much her arm hurt, cursing at the Ski Patrol as they sliced through the exotic fabric and ruined the jacket.

    Of course, it was only a jacket, but it is kind of funny how some people, myself included, grow quite fond of the gear we use when out in the elements. It is not entirely a money issue either, but more how one grows comfortable with, relies upon, and trusts the hardware we use.

    I think that it will be really interesting when biometric monitors, GPS gear, and transponders are integrated into clothing to help first responders locate and field diagnose victims in the wilderness or on the trail.

  3. Forget safety by j1mmy · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I don't want to listen to anything when I'm boarding. The best part of skiing and boarding is the utter silence you can discover on the slopes.