The article was developed in partnership with Rosner, a German clothing manufacturer, and is called the mp3blue. It contains an 'electronic module' which includes the MP3 player, 128MB of memory, a rechargeable battery and a Bluetooth transmitter that lets the user connect to their mobile.
Fibres that conduct electrical signals have been sown into the jacket. These fibres link the module to headphones and a microphone embedded in the collar, and to a textile keyboard sewn into the left sleeve.
If the wearer is listening to the MP3 player when their mobile receives a call, the music will be automatically paused and the call routed through the headphones.
According to Infineon, the mp3blue is the world's first "lifestyle jacket", and similar items of clothing are set to follow.
"We are looking forward to developing further clothes with integrated electronic solutions," said Dieter May, who is responsible for strategy and emerging business at Infineon.
At 128MB, the mp3blue will store only a fraction of the number of songs that can be accommodated on one of Apple's iPods, for example. Although the module can be removed from the jacket when it is being cleaned, it appears that it cannot be used as a stand-alone MP3 player, as it can only be controlled by the buttons on the keyboard.
Infineon recently helped to create a snowboarding jacket that, like the mp3blue, included an MP3 player and mobile phone support. It is expected to go on sale later this year.
The company is also developing a smart fabric that will turn floors, walls and even building columns into part of a building's security. The weave of conductive fibre studded with sensor chips and LEDs could even be able to guide visitors around a building.
Smart clothing may seem gimmicky today, but it may eventually be a significant part of the technology market. Infineon estimates that by 2007 the intelligent textiles market will have a global turnover of over €1bn.
The Rosner mp3blue.
Talkback
It will never work...
o I may not wear that item of clothing every day.
o it may not be fashionable.
o What about the water and heat processes of washing and drying the item.
o This is not new, this has been done many times before and guess what - those items never took off either.
o They should concentrate their resources elsewhere - an iPOD Jacket is not what I would want.
Working in the textile business fro over 15 years , I am delighted to see new innovative ideas being pursued. I think that this new creation is the first of many items that can include modern technoloy. May-be we should look at the Medical industry and try to incoroporate some medical device technology in garments - which would benefit us all in the future.
There are no boundries in what can be achieved in this area of development.
Well done to all concerned.
Regards
Co-Tyrone
N-Ireland