Designed specifically for device-savvy bicycle commuters, Levi’s Commuter Trucker jacket is the first wearable to utilize Google’s Project Jacquard technology. Woven with conductive threads, the denim jacket features a detachable, electronic tag that houses all of its electronics and connects to a user’s Android device via Bluetooth.
With a wave of the hand, a user will be able to perform tasks such as access Google Maps, play music, or ignore your boss’ phone calls, as seen in the latest promotional video.
The Levi’s Commuter line of clothing and accessories is specifically geared for those who get around with a bicycle—with features such as reflective elements, temperature control and even a higher back on their pants to avoid cracks. (And we don’t mean on the pavement.) The Commuter x Jacquard jacket will be the first piece of wearable technology in the company’s 143-year history. The partnership with Google was announced last year, but it wasn’t until the Google I/O keynote that details emerged—partly because Levi’s didn’t know what they were going to do yet.
“Last year we left it quite open [what the product might be]; it could have been jeans or smart pants,” Ivan Poupyrev, technical program lead at Google’s Advanced Technology and Products told Forbes. “But what we’ve now got is a functional and fashionable garment in the Commuter Jacket, where technology is serving a very clear purpose.”
Levi’s Is Only The Beginning
Jacquard’s conductive fibers are compatible with any industrial loom, and the technology was designed with creativity in mind. Clothing is just the beginning, opening up such possibilities as an interactive carpet, stuffed animals or anything covered in fabric. “Everyday objects such as clothes and furniture can be transformed into interactive surfaces,” Google says on the official Project Jacquard website.
Levi’s is Google’s first Jacquard partner, but the platform will be open to third-party designers and app developers—just like Google’s smartwatch line Android Wear. Any designer of textile-based products will be able to incorporate the technology into their products without the need to be a tech expert. Intel made a similar partnership for The Met Gala this year, creating a gown that interacted in real-time with Twitter reactions.
The Levi’s Commuter x Jacquard jacket will be available in Spring 2017.
