Google looks into turning the headphone cable into a control interface through the experimental I/O smart braid, a fabric cord allowing users to control a connected smartphone through pinch, squeeze and swipe gestures.
A Google blogpost describes a "helical sensing matrix" (HSM) consisting of a series of capacitive and conductive yarns woven into the braid. The yarns can detect gestures from any angle or part of the cables, with an experimental setup involving single taps for play/pause, a double-top for skip track and a twist for volume adjustments. The fabric also includes fibre optic strings, providing useful visual feedback.
Continue reading...