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Project Jacquard – Weave touch and gesture interactivity into any textile

By on March 18, 2016
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Project Jacquard makes it possible to weave touch and gesture interactivity into any textile using standard, industrial looms. This is possible thanks to new conductive yarns, created in collaboration with our industrial partners.

Jacquard yarn structures combine thin, metallic alloys with natural and synthetic yarns like cotton, polyester, or silk, making the yarn strong enough to be woven on any industrial loom. They are indistinguishable from the traditional yarns that are used to produce fabrics today.

The complementary components are engineered to be as discreet as possible. We developed innovative techniques to attach the conductive yarns to connectors and tiny circuits, no larger than the button on a jacket. These miniaturized electronics capture touch interactions, and various gestures can be inferred using machine-learning algorithms.

Captured touch and gesture data is wirelessly transmitted to mobile phones or other devices to control a wide range of functions, connecting the user to online services, apps, or phone features. LEDs, haptics, and other embedded outputs provide feedback to the user, seamlessly connecting them to the digital world.

Connected clothes offer new possibilities for interacting with services, devices, and environments. These interactions can be reconfigured at any time. Jacquard is a blank canvas for the fashion industry. Designers can use it as they would any fabric, adding new layers of functionality to their designs, without having to learn about electronics.

Developers will be able to connect existing apps and services to Jacquard-enabled clothes and create new features specifically for the platform. We are also developing custom connectors, electronic components, communication protocols, and an ecosystem of simple applications and cloud services.

Project Jacquard is a side project launched by Google itself. It is a very early stage, but they are looking for users, entrepreneurs, developers. Also, job posting is active. Go to subscribe now to be among the firsts!

Source: Project Jacquard

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