Clothed to charge into the future

Published Feb 17, 2015

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Technology will soon be so advanced that our clothes will be able to charge our phones and tablets, a former Google boss has predicted.

Technology expert Frank Golding, who used to work for Google as YouTube’s US director of sport, has claimed that in the near future parts of our clothing will be able to use our bodies as a power source.

Smart fabrics that harvest kinetic energy to create electricity are already being turned into clothing and accessories.

Other space-age materials will be able to display information and emit sound – eventually removing the need for separate screens or headphones.

He said: ‘Wearable devices willsoontransform our entire bodies into power sources. Video will be displayed on literally everything soon. TV sets of the future will be screenless frames through which holograms appear.’

He added: ‘We already have audio induction but I’m envisioning power induction next. By wearing a certain type of device, our entire bodies will become power sources which allow us to power very small devices remotely.’

Last year, Apple unveiled a £220 watch which can monitor your heart rate, give you directions, tell you how many calories you’ve burned, check you in for a flight, set your fitness goals and take pictures.

Wristbands have also been developed that will let wearers pay for a morning coffee and their daily commute without needing cash or cards. Barclays’ bPay bands can be worn 24 hours a day and are loaded with money by users from their bank accounts to pay for single transactions up to £20. Users simply swipe the bands over a terminal at a high street shop or pay point on the bus or train station platform.

While current devices are in their early stages, experts believe that the wearable technology sector will rapidly expand over the next few years.

And last month, NHS England’s National Medical Director claimed that wearable technology could play a vital part in securing the health service’s future.

Professor Sir Bruce Keogh said: ‘There are devices coming along which measure your heart rate, your respiratory rate and whether you’ve got excess fluid – quite complex changes in physiology. Technology is emerging which enables those to be transmitted through phones so health professionals can analyse them and act upon any warning signs.’

Daily Mail

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