Although it sounds like a sci-fi dream wrapped in an Onion article, Bolt Threads—a San Francisco-based startup that wants to disrupt the retail industry by mass-producing spider silk—is very much a real thing.
Real enough, in fact, that it not only convinced high-profile funds including Formation 8 and Founders Fund to invest more than $90 million, it also just unveiled its first product: a spider silk tie made from genetically modified yeast fermented in tanks.
Priced at $314, as TechCrunch reports, it doesn't come cheap. That said, the price tag includes the tie itself plus some built-in conversation starters. In addition to the aforementioned tanks of yeast, the tie is a good vehicle for casually referencing scientists’ previous failed attempts at mass producing spider silk (a valuable material that is tougher than regular silk and can be machine washed.)
For example, it allows you to say things like:
“Did you know that a spider silk farm in Madagascar was able to produce 80 feet of silk despite the fact that the spiders started eating each other?”
Or, “It’s too bad those Canadian scientists who genetically mutated goats to produce spider silk proteins in their udders didn’t realize the production process would be so costly.”
For those thinking, ‘Great, sounds like a fair trade-off, I’m going to SXSW and need some help with the small talk, where can I order one?’ — if only life worked like that. While the tie is being unveiled at Austin festival, the company has only produced 50 of them so you need to enter a lottery to “win” the opportunity to buy one.
Silly marketing stunts aside, Bolt Threads' ambitions are more serious. Ultimately, it wants to use the DNA of spiders and other organisms to synthesize high-performance materials. To this end, it secured a deal with Patagonia to help develop new fabrics for the outdoor gear retailers. Spider silks’ properties, which include incredible strength, durability, flexibility, and the ability to conduct heat, make more sense for athletic gear or winter jackets than they do for ties.
Google and Levi’s $350 smart jacket lets you control your phone with your sleeve
Wearable technology is set for its most literal incarnation with a new partnership between Google and clothing line Levi's.
From this fall, technology lovers will quite literally be able to wear their hearts on their sleeves, donning a new smart jacket which allows them to control their mobile device at the swipe of a cuff.
Users will be able to skip songs, use Google maps and make phone calls by brushing their sleeve.
The denim jacket, which will retail at $350, is the first of its kind and makes use of 'Project Jacquard' technology, which has been under development by Google since 2015.
The technology combines thin, metallic alloys with natural and synthetic yarns to create touch-sensitive interactive fabrics.
These conductive yarns can then be connected to a tiny circuit, no larger than a button, creating data which can be wirelessly transmitted to mobile phones and other electronic devices.
The smart fibres are washable and the button circuit has a two-day battery life.
According to the Project Jacquard website, the technology can be incorporated into a variety of fabrics, suggesting further wearable technologies could be on the horizon should the smart jacket be well-received by consumers.
"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."