Wearable Electronics

from the sew-that-right-here dept

Infineon, who makes DRAM chips, has put together some prototypes of chips and systems that can be sewn directly into clothing. Thus, it will be possible to have an MP3-playing shirt or jacket. They also say similar technology could eventually be useful for folding screens and other technologies that would certainly be fun to have around or even (probably a better use) for medical monitoring. Obviously, these are a bit early on, so I wouldn't be looking for this stuff to show up in stores any time soon. I also wonder how well these wearable chips handle the washing machine - or, just everyday wear and tear. It sounds like it would be cool... but I would imagine it will take a few generations before they work out a lot of the bugs.