Honestly, when I was in front of it I just couldn't tell the difference from a real t-shirt. It deformed like the one she was holding. I think she's a witch. [More IFA 2008 Coverage]

Seems that solar panels, clothing-infused or not, are tough to tie in knots:

Application of the solar panels to the tie made it difficult to tie the knot. In typical tie knots, a small loop is created through which the large end of the tie is passed. At this step in the process, the physical width of the solar panel forces the user to enlarge their tie loop to allow the solar panel to pass through. The solar panels are limited to bending around a three inch diameter and should not be creased. Usage of narrower solar panels was considered, but there would be sacrifices in power generation. Applying solar panels to clip-on ties would eliminate this problem.

Still, we can only see a bright future for wearable, chargeable clothing. [JTATM via Talk2MyShirt]

[Trendhunter]

Obviously, this type of technology would give the wearer the advantage of knowing exactly when they need to replenish nutrients in order to maintain or increase performance. The project is currently in the testing phase, but if all goes well these garments could make their way into the fat, sweaty hands of regular consumers sometime in the near future. [Biotex via Popsci]

This isn't the first time someone has come up with an idea for a huggable shirt, but the difference is that you can actually purchase the Embrace Me Hoodie. Unfortunately, it will cost between $480-$600 for the privilege of nauseating everyone around you. [Studio 5050 via Trendhunter via Talk2myShirt]

Aveilan's Awesaba is a program that lets you create an online mannequin of yourself. To use it, you upload a photograph of yourself in a specific pose - face forward, standing straight, with your arms at your sides a little out from your body. You then have a virtual you to click and drag clothes onto.

The company sells Awesaba to online merchants, who then provide the service free to their customers. As with all things that would make my life a lot easier, it's Japan only right now. Maybe by the time they get version 2.0, complete with 3D modeling and a style adviser who'll tell you not to match that hat with those shoes, we'll have finally jumped on Awesaba in the U.S. [Popgadget]

Basically, the glove operates using flexor strips in the fingers that send signals to a chip regarding their position. The chip interprets that data then sends it wirelessly to a cellphone configured with a vocabulary that corresponds with the gestures. The cellphone converts that information into a text message and then into speech using an off-the-shelf program. So far, HandTalk has been able to learn 15 of the 26 letters in the American Sign Language alphabet, and the team plans on adding pressure sensors and accelerometers to account for more complex gestures that make up the difference. With any luck, the HandTalk glove will be ready for a real-world testing in 3 or 4 months.

It sounds great, but I think Jason Chen put it best when he asked: "I wonder what it'll convert this gesture into":
[Pittsburg Post Gazette via talk2myshirt]

• Four fingertip pushbuttons for common functions like push-to-talk
• Index fingertip sensor for map or mouse mode selection
• Lower index finger for switching radio channels
• Pinky fingertip for map zoom or, in mouse mode, mouse-click
• Middle fingertip is "anywhere mouse" trackpad that is engaged when press against a hard surface like a gun or a wall
• Accelerometers in wrist track Wii-like gestures for sending messages, etc.

The glove has been in development for a few years, but has just been taken up by the US Army for testing at the Natick Soldier Systems Center. It's insanely cool, and something with clear real-world applications—and not just for you, Zoltan. But still, I keep wondering exactly how smart it is to make the tip of the index (aka trigger) finger a sensor that's to be used while your holding a gun. No wonder they show it here with a plastic toy instead of a real gun with live ammo. [Technology Review
via KurzweilAI]

Clothing concepts that double up with unusual functions have been around for a while, but this one seems to be one of the more useful and practical solutions, even if it isn't the epitome of fashion. (Disclaimer: I am not a fashion pundit.) [textually]

Imagine a future filled with people getting paid to wear annoying ads everywhere you went, or attention seekers getting in your face with a shirt filled with their stupid propaganda. It's a good thing we will all be long dead before this sort of technology becomes widely available. [Lunar Design via Gizmowatch via DVICE]

That's why we need this WeRobot shirt, featuring 51 silhouettes of the world's most famous robots. The only thing they're missing are the names, which is exactly what the comments and your wasted Friday at work are for. [product via botjunkie]

Over a period of time, this process would "train" the body to maintain good posture. Again, it is unlikely that the Ergoskin will ever become a real world product, but it is clear something needs to be done. After all, the Quasimodo look is far from flattering. [UAA Vienna via Talk2MyShirt via DVICE]

A calming ocean surf might become a brilliant blue, perhaps, or that cabbie's tirade about you stepping into traffic is expressed via your fabulous handbag as an angry sun-fire red. The intensity of light depends on the level of sound. The louder the environment, the more your apparel lights up. Combine this with Addy's wearable warzone antenna and you'd have quite the light show on your hands, I imagine. Just keep it away from the night missions. [HearWare via Talk2MyShirt]

(Sorry Momma, I know you don't like me to cuss, but it's it's a quote from a famous book by a learned author, you know?) And yeah, I guess you're surprised that I read Erica Jong. Hell, I'm surprised I read Erica Jong. I like her. If you don't know her, she wrote a book way back in the Seventies, when I was still in 'Nam—or was I in military prison, framed for a crime I did not commit?—memory's a bit woozy these days. Anyway, this book, it's called Fear of Flying, so of course I picked it up. Well, Face gave it to me, actually, said some ladyfriend of his had recommended it. So, I starts reading it, thinking it'll cure all my travel woes. Nope. No, it had absolutely bugger fuck nuthin', sorry Mamma, to do with gettin' on a plane. Well, it sort of is, but it mostly isn't.

But T's getting off the subject here. Don't push him off the buckle-less belt. It's made by Sruli Recht, it comes in three sizes—three, four and five cm—and four colors, three of which I approve (flesh, bone, rust) one of which I don't (ash, don't smoke, kids. And respect your Momma). It's cut using a jet of water and made in Iceland. Oh, and before I go, get one thing straight, fool, I don't like Ice. I don't like Ice-T. And so it goes without saying I probably don't like people from Iceland. [Cool Hunting]

Actually: These might make a good last resort, but the chemical toe warmers are a better bargain than buying a new pair of D cells every 6 hours. And let's not forget, warming the torso with proper layering, etc, warms the extremities. [REI and the Giz Reader Meetup, thanks to Adam for being the leg model]