Future Fashion
Biometric Bodysuits.
A team of the Applied NanoBioscience Center at Arizona State University has built prototypes of biometric bodysuits. They can detect chemical attacks, deliver drugs to their wearers, or even perfume scents if your body temperature rises too much. The military version of the Scentsory Chameleon Bodysuit incorporates fuel cells to provide a lightweight source of power for the soldier’s equipment. The civilian one can monitor your heart or blood pressure, deliver interactive games or simply work as a wearable computer. You will even be able to download new colors and patterns from the Web to change your appearance. Both versions should reach the market within a few years.
Frederic Zenhausern, director of the Applied NanoBioscience Center at ASU, has joined with Ghassan Jabbour, a professor at the University of Arizona, to develop two prototypes of “biometric bodysuits” that contain embedded sensors, power sources, microfluidic devices and other gadgets not normally associated with the latest Paris fashions.
Such “smart” clothing could give future soldiers early warning of chemical attacks or automatically deliver insulin to diabetics, Zenhausern said.
“The biometric bodysuit shows how electronics and fluidics can be incorporated into clothing to perform a wide range of tasks, from highly functional to the aesthetic,” he said.
alt="Chameleon Biometric Bodysuit"/>Here is a photograph of the military version of the Chameleon biometric bodysuit taken by I4U News during the Wired’s Nextfest 2004 held last May in San Francisco.
This biometric outfit demonstrates how miniature electronics could be embedded in clothing to promote health. It is made of clear vinyl and white plastics to show the placement of various electronic and fluidic devices. In the future, such an outfit could diagnose diseases and deliver medications to the wearer, monitor heart rate or blood pressure, deliver interactive games and other forms of entertainment or function as a wearable computer.
Another possibility would be to download different designs from the Internet so the fabric could change colors and patterns, Zenhausern said. And it could all be made to look stylish by blending the electronics with high-fashion designs, he said.
Source: Tribune Online
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