Chic Gear to Suit Net Generation

Roland Piquepaille writes "In this article, BBC News Online says that fashion specialists and engineers are preparing the next generation of wearable computing fashion accessories. Current ones are too conspicuous and expensive. Joseph Dvorak, a researcher at Motorola US, predicts the computers and technology we wear in four or five years time will not draw attention to ourselves. And Dr. Dianne Jones from textile company SOFTswitch, maker of the Burton Amp jacket which integrates an Apple iPod, thinks that the wearable computing industry will grow rapidly. She says that in ten years, 20% of our clothes will incorporate some kind of electronic components. This summary contains more details and references."

Comments

I'm a skeptic.

[grub]

She says that in ten years, 20% of our clothes will incorporate some kind of electronic components.

Unless she's including RFID tags, that 20% figure sounds far too high. I can't believe that one-fifth of socks, pants, underwear, shirts, etc will contain electronic components in 10 short years.

Also, how will all these clothes be cleaned? Will they be safe to throw in our 2003 "stone age" washing machines when 2013 rolls around?

Re:I'm a skeptic.

[watzinaneihm]

Or maybe she is saying that we will be wearing 20% more dresses. A large (though probably not 20%) percentage of the US and Europe has cellphones, and I would assume they carry it round with them. It would be great if one could integrate it into clothing, maybe removably , just a new pocket with wires running into it would do. Include handhelds, mp3 players and even a small computer and there is a large market of applicances which can possibly be integrated into clothes. Add vision goggles and probably your shirts, pants, glasses and watch can easily get more wired probably taking it upto a possible 20%. Or you could use RIAA maths if that doesnt work

... Why ?

[Shiifty]

Why would you want to 'wear' a computer? There are very few of us who need to stay connected 24/7. And how do you wash the clothes? I don't want someone able to track me wherever I go (not that I'm hiding anything lol)

Seriously, PDA's are really coming along, in a couple years you'll have a fully functional computer inside a PDA with free wireless and everything you need. And if you need to hide for a while, its easy to 'forget' your computer in the house or car. You can't really do that with clothing.

Wow! From 0% to 20%.

[110010001000]

From 0% to 20% in ten years? That means about 220 million articles of clothing will be produced in the year 2013 for sale in the U.S. market alone.

Riiight.

Its amazing how much these researchers get blinders on and inflate the importance of their research. There must be a term for this.

What I want

[bmongar]

What I want out of wearable computing is an eyepiece or specs that connect to a pda/computer wirelessly that overlays what I see with information.
Doing things like facial recognition and putting people's names under them and maybe some information you wanted to remember about them. Like 'don't ask john about his wife'.

I bet they don't

[Moderation abuser]

Tenner, anyone?

Integrating electronics into clothing gives you a many to many problem, you have to be wearing this for that to work etc. Then there's the batteries, washing, changes in fashion, worn out clothing etc.

The ability to stick this electronic device into that pocket gives you a many to one relationship and will remove any market demand for integrated devices. In fact they are a disfeature[1].

[1] Is that a real word? Go on, pedants you know you want to look it up for me.

Re:I bet they don't

[rabbitfood]

"..., you have to be wearing this for that to work etc. Then there's the batteries, washing, changes in fashion, worn out clothing etc." Assuming a 'thin-client' model, this mightn't be a problem. Energy could be supplied ambiently (thermal or kinetic), washing can be done using supercritical CO2, fashion is probably irrelevant to the target market and well-built clothing typically has a lifespan greater or equal to 5 years in normal use. What you haven't taken into account is the inevitability of moth-borne DoS attacks. However, overall, the effect will be beneficial to insurance industry and so, despite the problems, wearable computing for the masses is clearly both economically and morally viable. What currency is this tenner in?

Freedom from imposed fashions

[elpapacito]

Imagine an LCD-like dress that can be easily reprogrammed to show any combination of colors and image. I would like to be free from a fashion dictated by somebody else then me.

From a techincal point of view, a shirt calculating your blood pressure , sugar or alcool level in your blood and other medical parameters would be a very valuable tool, as long as it doesn't also broadcast the data like the nasty RDIF tag in theory could.

While to go yet

[ianscot]

Take a look at any cell phone belt clip. Our on-call phone has a lame (p)leather-and-plastic cover on it that bulks up the relatively sleek little phone, making the surface squishy to hold and dial. It's the IT Support Guy's version of plumber's butt, that phone.

Went to CompUSA and looked at the only armband they have for my iPod. It's a huge, too-wide band of stretch fabric with the same stupid black leather-and-plastic cover over the iPod itself. Black? Bulky? Did they notice the iPod itself is white and pretty danged sleek? I wanted something that'd be like a watchband to wear, and they gave me scuba gear.

Take a look at technologies that are more mature, and you have a different level of refinement altogether. Binoculars, high end ones, really do give a rip about balance, the strap design distributing weight, and every little detail of focus speed and so on. My Swarovskis cost just under a grand retail, and every little detail of their design reflects thought about how you can use them for days at a time in comfort. No ostentation, just good design.