South Korea has developed a new line of digital technology-based "smart apparel" that could bolster the competitiveness of local clothing manufacturers, the government said Wednesday.
"The new clothes are made of textiles that can transmit digital signals and have a built-in MP3 player," said Hwang Kyu-yearn, head of the Commerce and Industry Ministry's textile department.
He said even though the products can be used to play music, they have the texture of normal clothes and can be washed after the headphones are removed. Production of the clothing is expected to begin by the end of the year.
The product was made by researchers at Yonsei University in Seoul, with two clothing manufacturers responsible for making the finished product.
The emergence of rivals in China and other developing countries has severely hurt South Korea's textile and clothing industry. In order to assist the local industry, the government set up a joint research and development arrangement with local companies and academia to make smart clothes.
South Korean textile and clothing exports fell 6.2 percent from a year ago to US$6.52 billion in the first half. The exports have been dropping by this margin for several years.
"The smart clothes development project is part of this effort, with the government footing half of the US$15 billion price tag for the five-year project that ends in July 2009," said Hwang.
In addition to the MP3 clothes, engineers and clothing manufactures plan to release several other high-tech clothes including ones that can sense climate and body temperature, and help release or generate heat. Others being developed can relay one's pulse and other biological signals to a monitoring machine while a person is exercising, change color and have encoded data to help lost children find parents.
These clothes are near completion and should be ready for production by the end of next year.
The Commerce and Industry Ministry said development of MP3 clothes is expected to give the country a good start on an industry that promises considerable growth down the line. In 2008, the global market for smart clothes may reach $200 million, and the figure could jump to $700 million in 2010 and exceed $7 billion by 2014.
Countries like the United States and the European Union have all moved to invest in this sector.
Seoul, Aug. 16 (Yonhap News)
'Smart clothes' expected to bolster S. Korea's sagging textile industry |
