Google Wants to Turn Your Clothes Into a Computer, partners with LEVI'S Jeans [VIDEO]

If you thought it was only a matter of time before Google tried to turn your jeans into a computer, well, guess what, you were right.

Last week, the second day of its annual developer conference, Google I/O, one of the search giant’s semi-secretive research divisions announced a project that aims to make conductive fabrics that can be weaved into everyday clothes. The effort, called Project Jacquard, is named for the French inventor of the Jacquard Loom, which revolutionized textile manufacturing and helped pave the way for modern computing.

Much like the screens on mobile phones, these fabrics could register the user’s touch and transmit information elsewhere, like to a smartphone or tablet computer. They are made from conductive yarns that come in a rainbow of colors and can withstand the clothing manufacturing process, so “can be woven into textiles on the same looms that are used to make traditional fabrics,” according to a Google news release.

Google also announced a new partnership with Levi Strauss in which the companies would try to make interactive garments that would allow people to do things like send someone a text message by swiping their jacket cuff. The companies said they were hoping to integrate the technology into an apparel line next year, but did not say what kind of clothes or how much they might cost.

Project Jacquard was one of several new projects to come out of Google’s Advanced Technologies and Products group, or ATAP. Others included Project Soli, an attempt to use tiny radars that can detect fine motions like hand gestures and finger movements, which could potentially allow someone to use their hand to manipulate any digital interface. Ivan Poupyrev, a Google researcher, demonstrated this by rubbing his fingers in the air, at which point a bead-sized ball on a screen responded to his gestures.

Watch video below:

Credit: GOOGLE Project Jacquard