Jacket uses vibrations to guide wearers around Paris

Australia-based startup Wearable:Experiments has introduced its location-enabled Navigate Paris range, which comes pre-programmed with a detailed map of the city.

The functionality of smartphones is quickly moving away from small devices in our pockets and into the clothes we wear. Startups such as Lechal and SuperShoes have already developed footwear that uses haptic feedback to direct wearers to their destination. Now Australia-based startup Wearable:Experiments has introduced its location-enabled Navigate Paris range, which comes pre-programmed with a detailed map of the city.

As well as being designed to reflect the couture of the French capital, each jacket is able to connect to owners' smartphone. With the Navigate app, users simply tap in their destination and put their phone away. From there, the jacket will deliver small vibrations in each sleeve that let wearers know where to head. A small vibration in the right arm is a direction to veer right, while a stronger one in the left arm means take a hard left. As the company explains: "No longer do you need to be hunched over a map or a smartphone. Now, you can experience Paris as a traveler rather than a tourist."

The 100 percent wool jackets come in a range of sizes for both men and women, and the Navigate Paris is loaded with its own offline map of the city to make it useful when the phone's data connection isn't great. Wearable Experiments has also developed jackets for New York and Sydney, which are designed accordingly, and wants to eventually produce an induction charging hanger to keep the battery charged at all times.

Watch the promotional video below to see how the jacket works:

Navigate Paris could replace the typical tourist handbook to provide a more intuitive way to discover the city. Are there other technology services that could be integrated into clothing?