By Betty Ann Jordan

Crafted from reactive textiles and wired with electronic devices, Batman’s flexible armour withstands shotgun blasts, resists fire and can even sense a crook’s vulnerable points. Superman rocketed into our imaginations dressed in a bullet- and fireproof costume. And in the 1951 film The Man in the White Suit, an inventor conjured an indestructible, dirt-resistant garment fabric. Today’s scientists – working in such varied fields as textile chemistry, computing, communications and power generation – are responding to dreams of peak performance by creating similarly intelligent garb. Whether reacting to the user’s mood, generating electricity or morphing into protective shields, the latest smart wear has leaped from fiction to reality.

Reactive garments are undoubtedly at the cutting edge of this revolution. “Reactive garments or fabrics have integrated technologies that make them react to various stimuli, be it light, touch or heat,” says Filiz Klassen, an associate professor at Ryerson University’s School of Interior Design in Toronto. “Materials can be sensitive and change colour in reaction to heat, UV light and electric energy, and others integrate phase-change technology,” she says. Indeed, Philips Design (a division of Dutch electronics giant Philips) began exploring intelligent clothing in the mid-’90s as part of its Design Probes initiatives. “The interaction between the human body, apparel and the near environment is going to be one of the next big challenges,” says Clive van Heerden, the program’s senior director. Design Probes, dedicated to what he describes as “far-future research,” unveiled Skin, a prototype project featuring the elegant Bubelle dress and Frisson bodysuit, which pick up on emotions and movement. “Skin is a particularly useful carrier for new research and a fascinating subject. Our skin is our largest sexual organ. It’s also an electrical network,” he says. Bubelle’s fabric is embedded with sensors that react to bio-signals, such as temperature, moisture and heartbeat. Containing 18 mini-projectors, it turns the wearer into what van Heerden describes as “a human light bulb,” telegraphing her feelings and physiological state via “blushing” colour and light changes. Frisson, on the other hand, comprises hundreds of fine copper wires tipped with leds that light up when brushed or blown on.

While responsive clothing still forms part of a mainly experimental weave, garments incorporating wearable electronics are already on the market. Last fall, German fashion designer Willy Bogner rolled out a sparkling snowsuit that lets skiers and snowboarders see and be seen during nighttime action. Trimmed with super-bright solar-powered leds, the suit employs thin film technology developed by lighting company Osram. High-end label Ermenegildo Zegna just unveiled the Solar-jkt, a bomber or three-quarter-length jacket with photovoltaic solar panels in the removable collar. After four to five hours of exposure to the sun, the panels recharge a breast-pocket battery, creating virtually unlimited juice for the wearer’s iPod and cellphone. And the Dutch company dsm is developing a jacket and pants that will keep Dutch athletes cool when competing in the Olympic Games in Beijing this summer. On the quirkier side, the Hug Shirt by CuteCircuit (a U.K.- and U.S.-based interactive design and wearable technology company) uses Bluetooth technology to relay “hug data” via a mobile phone, with the goal of sending hugs over a distance. Sensors embedded in the transmitting shirt feel the sender’s skin temperature and heart rate and the pressure created by the person hugging himself. It then transmits this data to the receiving shirt, which incorporates actuators that read the data and recreate the sensation of the hug’s touch and warmth.