Art and technology have a complex but substantial history of influencing one another. Today, technology is increasingly impacting how art is made, displayed and sold — playing a fundamental part in its development and evolution. It’s also giving rise to questions like “How can machine learning algorithms, ambient sensors and new forms of human machine interaction transcend creativity and enable new perceptions?” and “What dialogues will those new tools for expression create?”

Focusing on the intersection of art and technology, we invited four cutting edge creatives from various disciplines — Christelle Koché, Refik Anadol, Mathieu Peyroulet Ghilini and Cyril Lancelin — to experiment with Soli, a miniature radar that captures human motions of varying scales, from your heartbeat to body movement.

“Do hoodies dream of beautiful sunrises?” is the name of the collaboration we undertook with KOCHE, a nod to Philip K. Dick and his dystopian universe. It is a way to ask — as a thought experiment — can clothes be sensitive to the beautiful environment that surrounds them? What is the future of clothes and can we redefine the interaction between clothes, humans and machines?

Driven by those questions, KOCHE created four hybrid pieces combining artisanship, couture and technology, which can transform by reacting to sensors or touch. KOCHE’s vision was to seamlessly blend technology with craftsmanship. In a way, most of the electronics had to be hidden, leaving only the luminous interactive elements, almost as if the elements themselves were part of the textile. For our team at ATAP, this meant making the driving electronics invisible, flexible and robust enough to withstand body movements, and supporting KOCHE’s application of craftsmanship techniques regarding the integration of luminous components.

We used Soli within the scenography of KOCHE’s Paris Fashion Week show to give it a deeply interactive dimension. We imagined different levels of interaction between the models, the clothes, the audience and the show space; each influencing the others with its presence alone or movement. In this way, the garment becomes connected to its environment; the garment transforms, and is transformed by, its environment. Together with KOCHE, we created visuals that illustrate Soli’s unique and abstract perception of its environment — a digital shadow, as perceived by Soli.

Upcoming collaborations with Refik Anadol, Mathieu Peyroulet Ghilini and Cyril Lancelin will be revealed in 2023. Stay tuned for more magic!

With the rapid evolution of computing, in one generation’s time we’ve seen computers shrink from room-sized devices accessible to few to something anyone can own and hold in their hand. And with the evolution of cloud and AI we’ve reached a significant new milestone. Computing can now go beyond specialized devices and start providing digital experiences through everyday things around you—an idea we call “ambient computing.”

That’s the vision behind Jacquard by Google. We want everyone to have easy access to various digital functionalities through their everyday, ordinary things. Thanks to ambient computing, those things can be much more helpful while remaining true to their original purpose—like being your favorite jacket, backpack or a pair of shoes that you love to wear.

The first early adopter of the Jacquard platform was Levi's®. Today, we’re sharing our latest work with their team—the Levi's® Trucker and Sherpa Jackets with Jacquard by Google. Offered in both men’s and women’s sizes across six countries (Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, U.K. and U.S.), this collaboration merges the iconic style of Levi’s® with ambient computing technology to enhance your everyday experiences.

These jackets include significant updates to the Jacquard platform, which we’ve updated to support a growing number of partners and garments. The most recent product based on this updated platform is the connected backpack by Saint Laurent, Cit-E backpack with Jacquard technology, which we announced in August.

The central piece of the updated Jacquard platform is our new Jacquard Tag—which is smaller than a stick of gum and has a battery life of up to two weeks, and which makes Jacquard technology even more unobtrusive in these new connected products. The tag connects to our newly re-designed Jacquard app and allows you to personalize your Jacquard-enabled wardrobe to do what you would like it to do.

We have a long and growing list of abilities that can be accessed through your connected garment including music control, navigation, Always Together, and various alerts, such as a text message or rideshare alerts. In September, we updated Jacquard with a Camera ability and new Google Assistant features that make it easier for you to create highly customizable experiences. With “My Day,” you can get current updates on traffic, local weather, news and more. And with “Ask Assistant,” you can create your own Jacquard ability. So whether you want to control your smart home, get updates on the latest basketball score or just check what your commute looks like before you head out—you can program Jacquard to do all this (and much more!) with a simple gesture.

With Jacquard, we want to help you access your digital life through the garments and products you use every day. We see technology as an ingredient for making ordinary things better and more helpful—not turning them into gadgets—and we made Jacquard easy to implement so partners like Levi's and Saint Laurent can bring this vision to life. There’s lots more to come.

Whether you're cycling to work or juggling a cup of coffee, it's often difficult to pull out your phone, unlock it and answer an incoming call, read a text or skip a music track.

To help you to control your digital life while navigating your real one, Google ATAP (Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects group) developed Jacquard—a connected apparel platform that allows fashion designers and apparel manufacturers to integrate connectivity and interactivity into clothes. And the first product that incorporates Jacquard—the Levi's® Commuter™ Trucker Jacket—will go on sale Wednesday.

The first thing to know about the Levi's® Commuter™ Trucker Jacket with Jacquard is just that: it's a jacket. Like any regular denim jacket, you can wash it (just remove the snap tag), it's durable, designed to be comfortable for cycling and it’ll keep you warm on and off the bike. With Jacquard technology, you can perform common digital tasks—like starting or stopping music, getting directions or reading incoming text messages—by simply swiping or tapping the jacket sleeve.

The technology that makes this possible is embedded in the jacket. Gesture-sensing Jacquard Threads are woven into the cuff and wirelessly connected to your mobile phone using tiny electronics embedded inside the sleeve and a flexible snap tag. The snap tag also notifies you about incoming phone calls or text messages¹ with light and haptic feedback. The gestures on the jacket cuff are fully re-configurable: using the Jacquard app you can assign gestures to invoke different digital “abilities” that were designed specifically for an on-the-go lifestyle:

• Play or pause your music, skip to the next track, or ask what song is playing².

• Get your next direction, ETA, or the current time.

• Receive updates on incoming call or texts with a subtle LED light and a vibration on your sleeve, and have the text message read to you.

The Levi's® Commuter™ Trucker Jacket with Jacquard™ by Google is available for purchase Wednesday in select shops. Next week, it will be available in the US online at www.levi.com and at select Levi’s stores.

We’re excited for Jacquard to be out in the world, and look forward to seeing how connectivity and interactivity can dress up the rest of your closet.