Photo: Google
Last May, when Google ATAP announced Project Jacquard and Levi’s as its first official partner for the initiative, the components that allow fabric to connect to mobile devices were not yet ready to be sewn into clothing. Fast forward one year to Google I/O 2016, and the partnership, whose goal has been to take wearable technology to the next level, reached a new milestone when they unveiled Levi’s Commuter Trucker jacket—the first wearable item from the collaboration.
Jacquard, the technology used to make the jacket, “makes garments interactive — simple gestures like tapping or swiping send a wireless signal to the wearer’s mobile device and activate functionality, such as silencing phone calls or sending a text message,” according to an article published on the Levi Strauss & Co. website.
The jacket, which has been designed with cyclists in mind, is made from denim and woven with conductive threads that track swipes and taps directly from the sleeve. So subtle you barely notice it, the video demonstrates additional features, including: riding directions, querying nearby places to dine and access to music playlists.