More on E-textiles: Electronic Smart Fabric

Little Hamster writes "The IEEE spectrum has an article on e-textile, where conductive fibers woven into fabric using standard textile techniques carry power to sensors, actuators and microcontrollers embedded in the cloth. The result is snowmobilers jacket that can detect crashes and txt an SMS message for help, carpet that can detect motion, or a T-shirt that shows videos. Oh, and the smart fabric is washable too."

Comments

It's a start

[(54)T-Dub]

This is the kind of thing we need for Invisiblity Cloaks, chameleon camouflage and Invisible Cars. Of course we still need a revolution in computing to handle the optic information but it's a start.

Re:It's a start

[mesach]

I'd rather have a carpet that would change.

that way when I have a party and someone pukes on it, and its still stained after I clean it up, the carpet can change to match the color of the carpet, and thereby mask the stain...

Just don't go drinking southern comfort, I don't think that a nuclear orange carpet would look good, but by that thought I can't think of any shade of puke that would look good.

Oh great...

[djhankb]

What happens when my shirt or pants lock up?

Re:Oh great...

[Nykon]

Im more concerned about when someone hacks my underwear.

no cheating

[Brahmastra]

Clothes that report whenever they are being removed to the spouse.

You could also make ....

[pavon]

a high tech chastity belt!

Wondering what that guy is doing with your daughter? This sensors on her clothes will monitor everything from body temperature, to heart rate, to surface contact! Using this you can determine if articles have been removed and remotely activate an electric shock - or using the builting GPS, track down the guy and beat him to a pulp the old fasion way!

Furthermore, the dancing images of Hello Kitty displayed on the clothing will ensure that any girl will be dying to have them! Yours for only $199.99!

Landwarrior

[BWJones]

The Army has also been a big backer of this sort of technology for their Land Warrior program. They want the ability to dynamically update their cammo for a variety of conditions from light to dark, from desert to urban to forest.

No Sweet-thing

[kfg]

I was staring at your video, honest.

Great, just what the world needs, a Tommy Hilfiger jacket that can implement the [marquee] tag.

KFG

a likely scenario

[sl0ppy]

someone walking down the hall, passes someone with a small handheld computer.

the handheld computer quickly negotiates with the clothes on the walker's back, when bingo! the break in happens.

from that point on, the subject walks around with Kick Me! labelled on their back.

another victim, and a smile breaks out on the person holding the handheld computer.

Obvious joke...

[show me]

Now that's what I call multi-threaded computing!

Parent is Article Pasting Troll

[H0NGK0NGPH00EY]

Come on moderators, can't you even read two paragraphs into a comment?

Like a pack of ravid gorillas with ants stuck up their anuses, the editors of slashdot behave in a quite odd manner when it comes to censorship and poor journalism. Readers should rise up in sacred jihad against these practices; the moment draws near.

Besides, the site isn't even remotely slow. Sheesh.

OMG!

[Strange Ranger]

So now when I get my coffee from that darling teeny-bopper downstairs I'll be forced to see Brittany Spears and Justin Timberlake VIDEOS on her shirts. Oh the pain.

Well, at least that gives me an excuse to stare.

"I was just entranced by your... video, HONEST!"

Not like RFIDs or anything

[Anonymous Coward]

Put a uniquie indentifier in your razor and everyone is pissed put an ENTIRE F***ing COMPUTER in your shirt and noone thinks that might be a little open to abuse?

What about...

[HungWeiLo]

snowmobilers jacket that can detect crashes and txt an SMS message for help, carpet that can detect motion, or a T-shirt that shows videos

What about some moral fiber that can detect corrupt CEO's?

(rimshot)

Impractical

[AKAImBatman]

The biggest problem with ideas like this is that they sound so great in theory and work so poorly in reality. The CyberJack fans (Neuromancer (sp?), Tek War, etc.) would have you believe that in the future everyone will want technology integrated into their bodies. Yet look at the most popular Sci-Fi such as Star Wars and Star Trek. Note the general lack of bodily implants and the revulsion such ideas produce. Sure, use the technology to make a blind man see or change one's appearance for spy work, but as a standard procedure? Nobody wants it! They simply want their technology like a protective cocoon. The very idea of mutilating one's self in the name of "progress" is seen as evil. (Case and point: The Borg)

Electronic wearables are an exciting field with tremendous possibilities (such as clothing that stays a constant temperature) but don't expect people to be too excited about anything more than passive systems.

Re:how long...

[the_pooh_experience]

..instead of a wrist-mounted little GPS device that shows "you are here" ...

I can tape a piece of paper to my wrist that has "you are here" written on it, and it will always be right! That paper doesn't even have to be e-textile-based.

Look at transmetropolitan for the alternate view.

[Unknown Poltroon]

THe same people who are getting multiple piercings and tatoos with green hair and punk clotes today are the same ones who in 100 years will have the video screens built into their chests and the headlines playing across their forehead. Everyone else will just have animplanted hone and nanotech medical devices. Exelent comic series BTW