The American company Apple has patented technology that could create Smart Fabric iPad Pro’s Keyboard. The corresponding document appeared on the United States Patent and Trademark Office website.
The fabric technology is called embedded electrical components (Fabric With Embedded Electrical Components). Clothing made from this material will be able to connect to the iPad.
The fabric consists of “conductive” fibers, propagating an electrical signal, and “insulting” for the outer layers of clothing.
Smart clothes will be able to connect to the iPhone wirelessly, collect and transmit data about the state and health of the person, play music through the built-in headphones.
This is a material that will consist of “conductive” and “insulating” filaments. “Conductive” fibers occupy the inner layers of the weave and ensure the propagation of an electrical signal to all parts of the thing. From the “insulating” threads, the designers will create outer layers of clothing to prevent any contact of the human skin with the “conductive” fibers.
For instance, a few weeks ago the company had multiple patents approved related to smart fabrics that could be used in both clothing and devices. One of the designs related to a glove that had circuitry woven into it, making it possible to have sensors like blood pressure monitors embedded. Another patent from this past summer involves garments having sensors integrated as a way to aid visually impaired people.
Of course, these are all just patents–it’s quite possible the actual devices will never see the light of day. But these new filings, coupled with the other past similar ones, show that Apple is thinking seriously about ways to intermingle technology with fabric.
That’s not the only thing on Apple’s design mind either–the company had 43 patents approved this time, including one focusing on multiplayer gaming and another involving ride-hailing implementation in Apple Maps.
