Google I/O 2015: Project Jacquard aims to offer interactive clothing; Project Abacus is all about security

While the first day at Google I/O saw the major announcements, the second day didn’t disappoint either. Along with **Project Vault** and **Project Soli** , the company also introduced the all new Project Jacquard that is all about intercative clothing and project Abacus is about security.

Project Jacquard by Google’s ATAP (Advanced Technology and Projects) group is an effort towards making smart and interactive clothing a reality. Ivan Poupyrev, the technical program lead at Google’s ATAP division, known to work on Google’s most insane and ambitious ideas. “Poupyrev’s idea is called Project Jacquard. (The name comes from a classic style of intricate machine weaving.) It aims to bring conductive yarns to every garment and fabric on earth, and then to integrate touch sensors, haptic feedback, and more right into your jeans, car seats, curtains, everything,” according to Wired. Poupyrev’s team has managed to create a way to build a conductive yarn using the same looms and machinery currently used in the textile industry. The team has also managed to integrate tiny electronics into textiles. “Google is working on an ecosystem of apps and services that will let you interact with your phone and other gadgets just by grabbing, tapping, swiping, and touching your clothes,” the report adds. At I/O, the company showcased how the new technology works by allowing users to manipulate a 3D image on a screen based on how they touch the cloth. Google hasn’t disclosed how it plans to implement the technology in our everyday lives, but it has announced it will be partnering with popular brand Levi’s. With Project Abacus, Google shows its concern for security. With the new technology, the company is aiming for single-authentication methods like fingerprint scanners and passwords. It expects these methods to be replaced by a system capable of tracking a number of different user interactions to ensure what they are trying to say. For instance, the system will track how a user touches the display or speaks into the phone. The company believes that the system could be more secure than simply keying in a password. According to a report by Wall Street Journal, ATAP plans to bring the Project Abacus to Android devices and also turn it into an open platform for developers. This way it will be able to cater to the security required by individual apps.