Google’s smart headphone wire has touch sensing for controls

Google is Working on a prototype of a headphone cable with touch detection for controls. Different functions are triggered by turning, swiping, pinching, gripping and tapping the wire or pushing the fingers: Tap to play and stop, e.g. B. double tap to move to the next track, roll between fingers to increase volume. The braided wire also has fiber strands that glow in different colors to let you know which controls you have activated.

Google has the project in one blog entry last week after the prototype was first unveiled at one Artificial intelligence event in San Francisco earlier this year.

The braided line consists of three or more interwoven strands of material and uses what Google Research scientist Alex Olwal calls a “helical sensing matrix” that can sense multiple touch controls anywhere on the string.

“Pinching and rolling the cable activates a set of electrodes and we can track the relative movement,” the blog post said. It recognizes where you have touched the line, which area, how long you have touched it, every rolling movement and every pressure.

A study of the prototype headphone cable with 12 participants showed an accuracy of gesture recognition of 94%. “Twisting our e-textile is faster than existing headphone buttons and comparable in speed to a touch surface,” said Google in the study.

The braided wire is just Google’s recent effort to develop high-tech fabrics. With the search giant’s Jacquard initiative, launched in 2015 as part of Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects department, users can use their clothing and accessories to control their devices with taps and gestures.

In March, Google introduced a together with Adidas and Electronic Arts Smart Show insole. The company announced $ 995 last year Yves Saint Laurent Cit-e backpack, a luxury bag with a touch-and-tap capable smart strap. Another product, a denim jacket made in collaboration with Levi’s, allows people to control their music or get traffic information by wiping the sleeve cuff. It is intended for commuters who cannot constantly check their phones while driving.