Smart Fabric, The New Silicon (IDTechEx Wearable USA 2015)

Generations of sensing technology have advanced from gears and levers to silicon MEMS. As computing becomes more intimate and ubiquitous, the need for robust flexible sensors has never been greater. Discussion of growth markets where smart fabric sensors are having an impact will be illustrated with practical examples and some predictions for the near term.

Founder Keith McMillen has started and sold two companies in his 30+ years innovating in the sensor and audio market. Zeta Music revolutionized stringed instruments and was sold to Gibson Guitars in 1992. Octiv, started in 2000 received funding from 3i and Intel Capital and was sold to Plantronics (NYSE:PLT) in 2005. Keith is the inventor on numerous patents, has released hundreds of profitable products and published dozens of scholarly papers as well as winning a Guthman Award in 2010. He received a BS in Acoustics from University of Illinois at Urbana.

BeBop uses smart fabrics to create elegant sensor solutions for OEMs. Where things or people interact, BeBop Sensors comprehend force, location, size, weight, shape, motion and presence across any size, resolution and geometry. BeBop technology is robust and proven with over a million sensors in daily use. Based in Berkeley, California, BeBop Sensors makes things knowable for product designers and visionaries.

BeBop uses a proprietary Monolithic Fabric Sensor Technology that integrates all of the sensors, traces and electronics into a single piece of fabric. BeBop technology senses and displays 3D maps of pressure, bend, location, rotation, angle, and torsion.