Smart suits

Semiconductor-maker Infineon recently demonstrated a man’s jacket that has a built-in MP3 player and can link up with a mobile phone over Bluetooth.

The coat was developed in partnership with Rosner, a German clothing manufacturer, and is called the mp3blue. Woven into the fabric are the electronic devices, 128MB of memory, a rechargeable battery and a Bluetooth transmitter that lets the user connect to their mobile.

Fibres that conduct electrical signals have been sown into the jacket and link the module to headphones, a microphone embedded in the collar and to a textile keyboard sewn into the sleeve.

Infineon says textiles that communicate, entertain and monitor the health of the wearer could become the next technology market.

The company is also developing a smart fabric that will integrate floors, walls and columns into a building’s control and security system. The weave of conductive fibre studded with sensor chips and LEDs could be used to guide and monitor visitors around a building.