It is an age old question in the clothing industry: form or function. In the near future the question is going to become increasing irrelevant as clothing begins to perform a variety of functions—at the same time. MIT’s Technology Review has a fascinating article entitled ”A New Nanogenerator” which outlines how new advances in the field of nanotechnology might soon enable wireless biosensors to be embedded directly into clothing. Among the many things this will allow is that users—as well as their doctors—will be able to monitor from afar everything from their heart rate to their blood pressure.
Beyond that, because these nanowires can generate 16 times as much electricity as older nanowires, it might soon be possible for a person to generate enough electricty from their body heat or movement to power many of the electronic devices they currently carry such as cellphones and iPods.
As always, I would encourage you to think more broadly about the implications of this advance. I have written previously about ”wearable clothing” and ”nano-fashion,” but I would also encourage you to read this article describing some of the new advances being made in the gaming industry. According to the article, companies will soon employ the technology in order to allow video game warriors to feel the shots, slams and hits that their on-screen characters are taking.
It would be easy to think this technology will be limited to the video gaming industry, but it isn’t. This vest technology has immediate applications for the health care industry. For instance, a heart attack victim might be resuscitated via pressure applied by the vest. And if you jump the curve, some other uses become apparent. An elderly person with hearing loss might be able to wear a vest that could allow her to “feel” when someone is ringing her doorbell or calling her phone; a truck driver could use a vest to help stay awake; and soldiers and policemen could wear a special vest that would apply pressure to a wound in the event they were shot in the line of duty.
The convergence of sensors and electronics into clothing are going to do more than just revolutionize the clothing industry, they are going to revolutionize a number of other industries as well. To profit from this sea change, it will be necessary to jump the curve.
If you are interested in seeing one possible vision of the future, check out this clip below:
Jack Uldrich is a writer, futurist, public speaker and host of jumpthecurve.net. He is the author of seven books, including Jump the Curve and The Next Big Thing is Really Small: How Nanotechnology Will Change the Future of Your Business. He is also a frequent speaker on future trends, innovation, change management and executive leadership to a variety of businesses, industries and non-profit organizations and associations.
