Smart Clothes.

Its not a new idea, its been around a while, but now they managed to make microscopic chain mail which could embed various electronics to your clothing for various functions.

Imagine a handbag that warns you if you are about to forget your umbrella or wallet, and which you can later turn into a scarf that displays today’s pollution levels. Or how about creating a wall hanging that glows if someone tries to use your home’s wireless Internet connection?

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That was back in 2004, now published in New scientist 20 February 2007, with the development of this new type of fabric, just imagine the possibilities.

Microscopic chain mail made from minuscule metal links has been made by US researchers. It could ultimately be used to create textiles with sensors and other electronics built in.

Microchip-scale electronic components could perhaps also one day be built directly into the links of the chain-mail, Liu says. The manufacturing technique employed should make this feasible. And this would allow sensors, communications or power components to be completely embedded within fully flexible fabrics.

So just like electronics are getting smaller, what could we incorporate into our clothing and attire to make our life easier?

Source.

Any one got any good uses for this?

What would you incorporate in your clothing?

How about a walking youtube on the front of your T-Shirt?

Nah I think this will be more used initially, like many new technologies, in the healthcare industry first. Patients could have their heart rates and respiratory information monitored, and sent wirelessly to a doctors tablet PC anywhere in the hospital. Or GPS embedding into clothing so protective parents can monitor thier children without the need for a GPS style phone. Perhaps Army uses there too eh?

As far as the consumer level.. well what about an article of clothing that could vibrate with your cellphones ear piece so you can hear and talk on your cellphone without any earbud? Serious hands free tech there.

Or perhaps clothes that tell you when you need to put on more deodorant?

Could this be used in any way to make a self-cleaning shirt? A small electrical discharge to brush off dirt?

I can't really think of any usages (right now) apart from novelty usage...

I'm quite sure that "Big Brother" can find some interesting uses for it.

Of course, it's only speculation on my part.

Maybe the Back to the Future Trilogy can shed some light upon science fiction becoming science fact. If you remember the clothing talking it said "Your Jacket is now dry."

The seamless way these things were presented was a compliment to this well made series of movies.

Originally posted by SkipShipman
Maybe the Back to the Future Trilogy can shed some light upon science fiction becoming science fact. If you remember the clothing talking it said "Your Jacket is now dry."

Yeahhh, remember the cool looking, "at the time" boots, that had no laces and auto fit on your feet once placed in.

Don't sound so futuristic now, especially with this new technology.

I carry a full line of smart-as*sed clothes suitable to the wearer.

Upon entering my clothes, the wearer becomes aware that he may in fact, "be" better than those in his introduced upon shambles of others.

The wearer, at his/her discretion, may turn off these clothes, and enter into a crowd "stealthily". Upon whence, he can "light up", and set the crowd with gaped jaws, staring off at an utter amazement.

USE at your own RISK!!!.

I've seen i few shows where they talk about medical devices for people who have say heart conditions that could detect if the wearer was in need of medical help and other conditions that could be treated with biomedical microchips, there was on guy who said you could put electronic sensors in clothes to be used to allow a blind person to "see" or sense their surroundings. so i guess this would be at least on benign use for a technology that could really get out of control.