Is That A Computer Chip In Your Carpet?
from the wearable-electronics-again dept
Roland Piquepaille writes "In this article from IDG News Service, John Blau writes that Infineon has created a smart fabric that could offer help in an emergency. "Researchers at Germany's Infineon Technologies have demonstrated how a self-organizing network of chips woven into large textile surfaces, such as carpets, could someday be used to monitor buildings, provide directions in an emergency, and more. At the company's Emerging Technology Lab in Munich, the research team showed how robust chips embedded into industrial fabrics in the form of a checkerboard are able to monitor temperature, pressure, vibration, and motion. The "intelligent" fabrics could, for instance, be used as motion or fire detectors." Check my blog for more details about this "intelligence by the meter" concept including how it works. You'll also find some pictures, like a wearable MP3 player, and other references." Of course, we've written about electronic fabrics many times before on Techdirt as well, including an article about Infineon saying they still had quite a bit of work to do before it became really practical. It's been said that they're uncomfortable to wear. There was also the story about smart thread that would monitor your daily activities - if you wore the same shirt every day.
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