Urban Cyclists Get Smart Jean Jacket

Who would have thought that having a smart jacket for cyclists would become something real in this day and age? Well, it looks like that is the case with the all new “Levi’s Commuter x Jacquard by Google Trucker Jacket”. What resembles a rather straightforward piece of clothing has more than meets the eye, where a tiny error in the weave alongside a black strap that is partially wrapped around the cuff of the sleeve will make all the difference in the world.

Announced at Google I/O today, this particular piece of subtle wearable technology happens to be the brainchild of a collaboration between Levi Strauss & Co and Google’s Advanced Technology and Products (ATAP) group, where the one-year old effort would fall under the banner of Project Jacquard.

Ivan Poupyrev, technical program lead at Google’s ATAP, shared, “Last year we left it quite open [what the product might be]; it could have been jeans or smart pants. But what we’ve now got is a functional and fashionable garment in the Commuter Jacket, where technology is serving a very clear purpose.”

The “error” as mentioned earlier is actually a conductive yarn that enables touch interactivity, as users tap, swipe or hold on the left cuff of the sleeve in order to carry out tasks such as changing music tracks, blocking or answering calls or accessing navigation information. Pretty cool, don’t you think so?

Edwin Kee
Categories: General
Tags: Google, levi's