Charging Our Devices With Our Clothes

Remember when shirts, pants, and vests were just pieces of clothing? That’s changing as society becomes increasingly dependent on its smartphones, tablets, and iPods. Nowadays, inventors are developing clothing that will not just keep you fashionable; it’ll charge your electronic gadgets. A recent story in Mashable reported that researchers and designers have recently developed textile prototypes that double as chargers, ideal for the on-the-go tech user. Here’s a look at the latest trends in clothing that doubles as high-tech charging solutions.

Rain Boots that Charge Your Phone

Orange, a British mobile carrier that partnered with a firm named GotWind in 2010 to produce rain boots that consumers can use to charge their phones. The boots were just a prototype, revealed at the Glastonbury Music Festival, but the prototype showed enough possibility to get mobile users excited.

Military Tech

There is also technology now being worn by U.S. military personnel. Soldiers can now count on lightweight military uniforms that boast intelligent textiles into their vests, shirts, helmets, and backpacks. This technology permits soldiers to charge one battery and then send the power from it throughout their clothing. In this manner, they can charge whatever device needs to be charged.

The Most Advanced Felt in the World

Scientists at the Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials at Wake Forest University are working on a fabric they call Power Felt. It may sound like science fiction, but Power Felt is actually a thermoelectric device that, when fully created, will be able to turn body heat into electric current. This current could then be used to charge numerous devices – smartphones, tablets, and music players.

Again, much of this feels like something you’d see in a science-fiction movie, but the technology behind power fashion is developing rapidly. It may not be long before that “10 percent battery power” signal no longer sends us into fits of panic.