Google has competition in smart clothing race - sportstextiles: Lea SportsTextiles

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Google has competition in smart clothing race

11/11/2016
South Korea-based startup Impressivo has emerged as a potential rival to Google in the race to create smart clothing able to control smartphone activity via the sensing of gestures. 

Earlier this year, Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) unveiled a collaboration with denim company Levi Strauus & Co called Project Jacquard. The partners have developed a smart denim jacket that can answer calls, give directions or control music.

Impressivo has unveiled an alternative development that it calls ‘faiv’. It uses resistive sensors, rather than the capacitive ones used by Google, to detect pressure. This means it can support multitouch gestures, allowing it to register multiple interactions at the same time. 

David Ahn, Impressivo’s CEO, says he has had talks with companies over integrating the technology into sportswear. He added that there are also potential applications in military clothing.

The ‘faiv’ technology is currently in the prototype stage with development expected to continue through to 2017. There are also plans to launch a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter in the new year. 

Related stories:

Google and Levi’s give first glimpse of smart jacket 17/03/2017
Google files patent for smart fabric 07/10/2016
Google and Levi’s create smart jacket 24/05/2016
Google and Levi's to team up for ‘swipeable’ jeans 02/06/2015

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