27 Smart Clothes

It’s often said our clothes say a lot about us. That will be especially true in the near future when they won’t just look smart but be smart.

According to TIME magazine, European nations are spending $63 million on the development of materials that gather important information from the human body and its surroundings. Known as “smart fabrics” and “interactive textiles,” these hi-tech fibres will revolutionize the way we work, play and protect ourselves.

In Italy, tests are underway on a prototype firefighter suit that monitors vital signs such as heart rate and respiration, signals whether a fire is too hot to approach, uses GPS technology to track the firefighter’s position, and alerts the command centre if he or she passes out.

A partnership among university researchers, electronics firms and clothing companies has also yielded other products. They include a shirt that uses wireless technology to monitor heart attack patients, and sports clothing that tracks breathing. Other special fabrics react with sweat to measure blood oxygen and biochemicals, and some textiles used in bedclothes can detect and monitor depression.

Though smart fabrics look and feel normal, many contain microcomputers, tiny solar panels and energy-storing systems. And that technology continues to find new uses, such as infant clothing that could prevent sudden death syndrome. While safety and medical applications are currently the focus of the interactive textile business, most experts think sports will be the area in which wearable technology first reaches ordinary people. But it’s unclear how much consumers will be willing to pay for smart fabrics.

Regardless, most experts say they’ll be commercially available in two to five years. The European textile industry is counting on that because the sector has been hit hard by Asian competitors who pay much less for labour and materials. To safeguard the future of their $326 billion clothing and textile trade, the Europeans are relying heavily on this high-tech know-how.

To protect the future of the church, there will have to be a similar investment — of time, energy and focus — in the only clothing that gives the people of God an advantage over those who don’t have it. Listen to what the apostle Paul says after reminding us we must put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within us, including greed, anger, lies and slander, sexual sin and dirty language.

“In [their] place, you have clothed yourselves with a brand- new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, who created this new nature within you... Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. You must make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony (Col. 3:10-14)

If Christians are to be unified and effective, “the Body of Christ” — the Church — must be clad in love, the spiritual equivalent to a smart fabric. After all, the love in our lives gives us an accurate measurement of our vital signs — the condition of our heart and our ability to take in the Breath of God, the Holy Spirit.

True love warns us away from dangerous situations, helps us monitor our position in relationship to God, and alerts others when we’re in trouble. Love combats depression. It captures the light and energy of the Son to protect us and power us through life’s greatest challenges. And love makes us better able to stay spiritually fit, which is more important that physical conditioning because “it promises a reward both in this life and the next.” (2 Tim. 4:8)

But in our success, the most important factor is not know-how but know-Him. And each of us should strive for it with every fibre.

By Rick Gamble. Published in Cross Current, the weekly newsletter of the followers of Christ congregation in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. Reprint at will in not-for-profit publications. To subscribe to this free weekly article, send a note to Rick at rgamble@bfree.on.ca