One of the big challenges in wearable electronic: speaker which can be fully and seamless integrated into clothing transforming a T-Shirt into a speaker system.

NXT‘s surface mount system is so far the closest solution but still it requires some bulky sound engine called ‘exciter’ to transform semi stiff EVA into s sound emitting surface.

A group of Chinese researchers at Beijing’s Tsinghua University set out to build the basis for speaker clothing as they discovered that, by zapping an audio-frequency current through a carbon nanotube thin film, it can be made into a wispy-thin high-performance loudspeaker that emits sound in a wide-frequency range and operates without moving parts or magnets.

Sounds like science fiction – right?! But according to the project publication in American Chemical Society‘s ‘Nano Letters‘ this technology is actually closer to reality as it sounds.

A fully working prototype can be seen and heard in a couple of amazing videos (scroll down to the bottom of the page) showing how stretchy and flexible this sound wonder material is.

The nanospeakers work based on the thermoacoustic effect. Alternating electrical current running through the thin films of nanotubes heats the surrounding air, causing it to expand and contract, creating sound waves.

If this technology is picked up by some industry heavyweights to develop the production processes a sound Jacket might be in the stores in 2-3 years. Not that bad as the clothing industry uses a 2 year time frame from first concept sketches until a collection hits the shelves.

Research and science shave the habit to be far off away from reality but the stretchy nano speakers sounds very solid.

[source: American Chemical Society]

The Soundtrack T-Shirt started out as an April Fool’s day joke but will become reality thanks to the power of the Consumer voice.

Point in case: on April 1st we (and many other blogs) posted about the Soundtrack T-Shirt from ThinkGeek which  was ‘created’ as an April Fool’s day joke. An attempt to order it ended on a page saying what it was: 1st of April, sorry we don’t ship this item.

But things changed over at ThinkGeek as they where overwhelmed with requests from all over the Internet so they decided it’s time to make the Soundtrack T-Shirt for real.

Here is the text from ThinkGeeks Website regarding the Soundtrack T-Shirt:
Important Note – Due to overwhelming popular demand we’re turning this April Fool’s product into a real product and it might take a little while.

It seems a lot of people are exited about having a personal sound track while walking through life.

We will keep an eye on ThinkGeek and report back once they start shipping or you sign up for an email notification on their site to be the first to have it.

This example shows the power of the consumer voice – without the huge response ThinkGeek might just have filed this idea as April Fool’s day joke.

Industrial design student Joonas Saaranen added his view on the 21st Century boom box by creating the Reppo II backpack with a pair of full-range speakers and an amplifier.

Unlike the growing number of sound backpacks we have covered so far, the Reppo II is a urban hardshell backpack with conventional speakers as compared to the more softer speaker technology provided by NXT.

Nevertheless, the sound quality of the Reppo II should be better and more powerful than the soft panel speaker with NXT technology but one has to make a choice between softness and a lighter backpack versus more sound power and a heavier hard-shell backpack.

Saaranen has no plan yet to commercialize the Reppo II concept so we do not need to make that choice any time soon between soft or hard, the Reppo II is a one off prototype based on his vision and a small scale focus group testing.

Hard-shell backpacks are not new and have their fans. Adding a power sound function is not as far fetched as it might sound but … we like the soft, more flexible type of technology integrated into bags and clothing.

[Joonas Saaranen via technabob]

NXT is for sound integration into soft goods what Eleksen is for the integration of textile control buttons into all kind of clothing and soft goods.

NXT’s concept of using existing materials and styling elements of bags and backpacks to transform them into a sound radiating speaker is great innovation.

Spyder is launching the Groove backpack this autumn using a Jersey coated EVA panel with NXT technology that is powered by a stereo amplifier.

The result is a durable front panel which emits high quality sound when the backpack is connected to virtually any music devices including iPods, MP3 players and laptop computers via the Groove’s universal 3.5mm audio jack.

Three AAA batteries provide enough power to enjoy your tunes or give a presentation for up to seven hours.

With it’s almost 30 year heritage of producing cutting edge apparel and equipment for elite athletes, Spyder is renowned for products of the highest quality and the Groove is no exception.

Practical and stylish, the Groove is the ultimate portable speaker system aimed at skiers, snowboarders and outdoor enthusiasts as well as for students, business people and travelers.

The Groove will hit the stores later this year and unlike the hefty price tag that Spyder put on their great looking iPod Jacket ($ 3000.- including iPod), the Groove backpack comes to a very reasonable price of $ 120.- (this time without iPod).

Quiksilver has launched a range of backpacks with integrated sound system from NXT and ‘made for iPod‘ label.

The Quiksilver models Day Pack, Surf Pack and Snow Pack feature the finest materials, sophisticated technical construction and embedded technology.

All three models have weatherproof NXT flat panel loudspeakers which are formed from EVA foam. Employing NXT SurfaceSound technology, the stereo speaker modules result in a lightweight yet durable front panel which emits stereo sound when the backpack is connected to a portable audio player.

Each bag offers unique features which include Quiksilver’s patent pending ‘shoulder strap suspension system’, internal and external LED lighting systems (‘Led light my path system‘), built-in NXT-equipped speakers, ‘Made for iPod’ and soft touch audio controls.

There is really nothing left to wish for in a backpack. A sophisticated backpack range that was ‘inspired by the needs of Quiksilver’s worldwide network of skiiers and snowboarders and surfers’ according to Quiksilver.

Here are the links and cost for the different models:
Day Pack for $ 503.95 available by Rideshop-zappos, Surf Pack for $ 583.95 also by Rideshop-zappos and the Snow Pack for $ 500.- avaiblable online by Islandsurf.

This three backpacks are equipped with cutting edge technology, innovation, superior materials and functions. They re-define everything how a high end backpack should look and work.

The cost? It’s just a number, you deserve the best for your life.

Our Web-browser of choice is Firefox from Mozilla. It’s by far the most stable, platform independent and expandable Web-browser every created. The iPod is a well known portable audio player and one of our life enhancers during the long hours awake.

Now – where is the Wearable Electronic component coming in? This is not a blog about Web-browser nor about iPod, though the later is very often named here.

Mozilla offers in their online Store a Sound Bag! If you are happy with the Mozilla products you can express this and buy the merchandise from their shop. The sound Bag is one of the items.

Play your tunes in style with the Firefox G-Tech sound case and support the future of this great browser. Based on G-Tech’s own product, the iPod Shell with speaker, this shockproof case has built in speakers and is powered by 2x AAA batteries.

What’s holding us back to give our credit card info is the missing keypad from Eleksen that G-Tech uses on their Sound Shells.

Actually, the Firefox Sound Bag is not only for the iPod, any audio player with a 3.5mm headphone connector can be used. Unfortunately, this universality eliminated the great functionality of controls on the outside of the Sound Bag.

The front of the case is decorated with the Firefox wordmark in black. That’s not very exiting either. Why didn’t they use the great looking Firefox logo?

Dear Fox, it’s great that you go for innovative accessory items in your store but it would be even greater to use state of the art functionality – next time.

You can order the Firefox Sound Bag on Mozilla’s online store for $ 32.- We for our part wait until the improved version is available but then we will queue up overnight if needed to get one.

The other day I strolled through one of the shopping malls nearby and came across a range of sound bags, small and large, different styles and colors.

There has to be for sure a market otherwise they would not display them in a first class (and high prized) shopping mall.

Among the selection in the shop, the iMainGo sound bags jumped out with their pleasant color hues and the nice, high quality workmanship utilizing a combination of foam and hard plastic inserts that allow iMainGo to accommodate every iPod ever made, actually any audio player with a 3.5mm headphone connector but I think the size is perfectly fitting for the ‘full sized’ iPods.

On top of being a great little speaker system, the iMainGo is also a sturdy carrying case that protects your precious iPod better than most cases. Another clever design feature is the clear plastic back panel, which lets you control your iPod without unzipping the case.

The iMainGo is powered by 4 AAA batteries, and has a battery life of up to 30 hours, which is quite reasonable. The fit and finish of the entire package is top notch, with rugged stitching, a sturdy zipper, and what feels like solid construction throughout.

All iPod’s (with screen) have an alarm clock feature. With the iMainGo as an alarm clock that wakes you up to your favorite tunes played through iMainGo is making the alarm feature much more useful than with headphones or the need of yet another speaker docking station. Very handy when on trips far and away from home.

The iMainGo is a fashion accessory that combines beautifully style with function and has a top spot in my Wearable Electronic product selection.

You can follow this link to find out either the nearest to you ‘real world store’ or the nearest an online store that sells the iMainGo. On a US site I saw it for $ 49.99, not so bad for this little, practical thing.

Another smart product from G-Tech: the Sophisticase Computer Briefcase.

This model has as seen already in other G-Tech products, the NXT flat panel speaker technology integrated into the bag, invisible.

As we said on the computer Sleeve, a very desirable ‘must have’ for the powerful multimedia presenter on the road, away from the fully equipped multimedia meeting rooms in your office.

We like the G-Tech model more than the Marks & Spencer model. The Sophisticase is more sporty, more dynamic and looks like to have more space for all the other stuff like your iPod or MP3 player of choice that you can hook up to the bag as well as your notebook computer.

Some of the bags features: a detachable computer sleeve in the middle compartment, triple accordion file in the back compartment, dual zip pockets at top back corners for phone and notes, organizer pockets inside the speaker compartment and back compartment for all business accessories, a strap loop in the back for luggage pull-up handle, soft-gripped handle and detachable shoulder strap. That means you have your complete mobile office in this bag. And don’t forget: the Speaker requires 3 AA batteries.

We can not repeat it often enough: if you have to give presentations by your clients and don’t want to rely on the audio equipment available there, this is a sure way to have set up everything on your side and get the additional bonus of being high-end and high-tech.

As for availability: same as for the Computer sleeve, you can find it on G-Tech’s Website for just under US$ 100.- if they ship it on individual basis.

We are always on the look out for enhanced textiles, textiles with added functionality, in short: Smart Textiles.

The Music Textile created by Maurin Donneaud (Industrial designer) and Vincent Roudaut (Interaction designer) is a highly interesting concept.

The Musical textile is a large tactile interface for playing electronic music. The performer plays it simply by moving his / her hand over it. The XY position where the hand contacts the music textile is transmitted to a computer. The current demonstrator allows a resolution of 4000 by 4000 points.

How does it work?
Two conductive fabrics are fixed on a frame, each one weaved with conductive threads in a different direction. When the performer presses any point of this textile, the two fabrics connect and the current electrical value is sent to the computer. It’s based on a voltage divider resistive principle.

Maurin developed this project at the National School of Industrial Creation (ENSCI) Paris, France, for his diploma in December 2005. Since then, he specializes himself in the creation of innovative electronic textiles and he continues the development of the music textile. Many more photos about the creation of the music textile can be found on Maurin’s flickr album.

We can imagine a wide range of application for this concept like wall decoration that allows you to create your own musical enjoyment, table cloth for interactive acoustical games,

Why this concept is interesting?
It’s a simple system, has great flexibility, is light in weight, has a nice soft tactile feeling, large surface of interaction, potential low cost and last but not least: can be wrapped around existing objects of various forms and shapes.

The Musical textile will be exhibited between April 16 to 21 during Malaupixel in Paris. If you are around or in Paris at that time you should have a look at it (and give us your impressions in the comments, would you please?).

[via: we-make-money-not-art]

G-Tech is very active in producing and introducing Wearable Electronic products. They have a huge range of Bags, Backpacks and now a sleek Computer Sleeve with seamless, invisible integrated flat panel speaker from NXT.

The benefit of this integration is very obvious, as we mentioned on the post about the Marks & Spencer computer bag. Especially in business situation, sound as addition to high impact presentations is a very powerful tool to get the message over.

Put down this sleeve next to your notebook computer during your presentation, hook it up to your computer and have the sound coming ‘out of your computer sleeve’ will guaranty you the highest attention level from your audience.

The Secure Sound (Computer Sleeve), as it is named by G-Tech, is made of 420d jacquard and this semi-hard EVA case provides the ultimate protection for your laptop.

Of course you can hook up the computer sleeve to your iPod or other audio device as well. This computer sleeve fits in most briefcases, backpacks or can be carried alone. 3 AA batteries will give the speaker enough power for around 3 hours, more than enough for your presentation.

We are not sure if the Computer Sleeve can be ordered by individual customers, on G-Tech’s Website are price indications for oder quantities for retailers. If they accept oders for one unit, the cost indicated  (24 or less we guess) is around US$ 55.-, almost a bargain for this multifunctional and good looking sleeve for your notebook.