It's been a good year for the connected fabrics business: OMSignal shipped shirts with Ralph Lauren, Clothing+ got scooped up by Jabil (which developed a reference platform), and now Hexoskin has closed a funding round of just under $1 million so it can chase FDA approval for a new line of clothing. Hexoskin's parent company, Carre Technologies, says the upcoming line will … [Read more...]
Jabil Publishes Reference Platform for Connected Clothing
Jabil, the electronics manufacturing giant that bought connected fabric leader Clothing+ earlier this year, is starting to use its heft to establish itself in the smart clothing business. The company today published the Peak+ reference design for clothing, incorporating smart fabrics from Clothing+, transmitters and apps from Suunto, and analytics from Firstbeat. John … [Read more...]
Smart Fabric Maker Clothing+ Acquired By NYSE-Listed Jabil Circuit
The Finnish smart fabric company Clothing+ was bought earlier this month by Florida-based Jabil Circuit, an NYSE-traded company (NYSE: JBL) that does electronics prototyping and manufacturing. Clothing+, which made the sensor fabric in the Victoria's Secret smart bra, has been in business for 17 years, integrating electronics into textiles. Its first heart monitor shirt was … [Read more...]
High-Tech Clothing Purifies the Air Around You
When we talk to people in the fashion industry (which, us being in New York, is pretty frequently), we often issue a challenge: for all of history, clothing has been about decoration and protection. What can technology do that will either enhance those functions or add another? Here's one answer: clothing that can clean the air around its wearers. Pollution is a big … [Read more...]
Must-Read: The Economist Writes About Conductive Fabrics
There are lots of challenges to building electronics into clothing, but perhaps chief among them is the problem of getting durable wiring onto (or into) fabrics. The Economist has an excellent article about who's doing what to solve that problem; it's a rare must-read and must-clip if this is a problem that's important to you. In fairness, the article may be a little ahead … [Read more...]
Rocket Scientist Builds High-Tech Halloween Costumes
It's the end of October, and what's a publication that can't figure out a holiday news peg, right? Here's a story about an honest-to-goodness rocket scientist who found himself with a booming business making Halloween costumes based on wearable technology. Mark Rober worked for the Jet Propulsion Lab on the Mars Curiosity Rover. Two years ago, he strapped a couple of iPads … [Read more...]