Google著手開發高科技「觸碰型布料」| Google developing smart fabrics

Google著手開發高科技「觸碰型布料」

想像，如果只要輕輕在衣服上碰一下，就可以啟動音樂播放、關掉電燈或是撥電話給家人。

Google公開對外表示，他們正在著手開發一個新的「觸碰型布料」技術，這將使襯衫、褲子和衣服發揮觸碰螢幕的強大功能。這個舉動讓產業觀察家紛紛表示，這很有很可對高科技產業帶起一股不同的風暴，甚至衝擊筆記型電腦、智慧型手機或是APP產業的發展。

Google的這項技術預計最快在今年底可開放給全世界的工程師進行相關開發，這將推動本來就已經正在蓬勃發展的智慧型穿戴科技產業，注入一股新潮流，包括最近才推出Apple Watch的蘋果。

Google的「提花任務(Project Jacquard)」在舊金山舉行的I/O開發者大會中，展示了利用智慧夾克撥打電話。最令觀眾驚奇的不僅是可以利用手指在布料上滑動開關指令，並且連手指的力道大小都能精準地偵測出來。

Google ATAP技術部門主管Ivan Poupyrev指出：「紡織品的構造基本上已經如同觸碰螢幕般」。工程師利用導電紗線的傳導功能，將其透過紡織技術交織在布料中。Ivan Poupyrev繼續表示，穿戴式的電子元件已經不斷縮小到一個按鈕的尺寸，最後也將縮小到無法察覺電子元件的存在。

Google其實並不是第一家推出高科技布料相關產品的公司。 OmSignal和Heapsylon這兩家新創公司早已開發運動員使用的穿戴科技布料產品，透過高科技布料，在訓練過程中監控與接收身體資訊。然而不同的是，Google似乎是走向一個日常生活的市場，將高科技布料應用在一般人的生活當中，讓消費者甚至不用伸手進口袋裡面拿到手機就可以開始聽電話。

專家表示，高科技智慧布料或許將打開一個新的紀元，跳脫手機或是手錶等這些小螢幕的侷限。在這同時，相信大家也不禁想到之前Google所推出的Google眼鏡，最終也因為無法與生活時尚沾上邊而宣告失敗停止生產。但相信Google肯定也從中吸取了不少教訓，向前邁進一步。

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【新聞來源：台灣紡拓會】

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Google developing smart fabrics

Careful if you spill mustard on that shirt — wiping it off could accidentally turn up the music, turn off the lights or call your mother.

Google said it’s developing a new “smart fabric” technology that will make shirts, pants and other articles of clothing responsive to swipes and taps the same way touchscreens are.

That, in turn, could allow high-tech togs to communicate with laptops, smartphones and smart appliances — or even replace them altogether, industry watchers said.

The technology, slated for release to developers later this year, pushes the envelope in the fast-growing wearables category, whose recent entrants have included the Apple Watch.

Google’s “Project Jacquard,” unveiled this week at its I/O developers conference in San Francisco, demonstrated a jacket that commanded a phone to make a call. Fabric swatches not only responded to finger swipes but also sensed how hard they were being pressed.

Engineers pulled this off by creating a yarn that’s capable of conducting electricity, as well as being interwoven with a variety of fabrics.
“The structure of textiles is the same as the structure of touchscreens,” explained Google exec Ivan Poupyrev.

Electronic components that support the fabric have already been shrunk down to the size of a button and will eventually be undetectable, execs said.

Google isn’t the first company to push smart fabrics. OmSignal and Heapsylon are two startups that have been marketing athletic wear that can monitor a user’s vital signs during a workout.

Google’s approach, however, appears to be targeting everyday uses that could be especially attractive to the lazy — those who’d rather not have to fish the phones out of their pockets to answer them, for example.

Some experts said the generous surface area of smart fabrics would be a welcome contrast to the tiny screen of the Apple Watch, which has vexed some reviewers.

Signaling its mainstream intentions, Google said Friday it has created a partnership with Levi Strauss.

“In our hyper-digital world, people constantly struggle to be physically present in their environment while maintaining a digital connection,” said Paul Dillinger, head of global product innovation at Levi.

When it comes to fashion, Google might need all the help it can get it. The 2012 launch of Google Glass, a pair of smart eyeglasses, flopped with fashionistas.

On Friday, Google exec Astro Teller admitted the Google Glass rollout had been botched and said a new version “is making really good progress.”

Original Article: NEW YORK POST