This fabric can store your passwords for you
That "means you could wear a bracelet that unlocks your bank or email account."

"Have you ever wished you had something to remember all your passwords?" asked Avery Thompson at Popular Mechanics. Researchers from the University of Washington have developed a fabric that can store data "in the threads," enabling it to operate like a keycard or passcode to open doors or unlock accounts. The fabric contains thread that can carry an electric charge, and the researchers magnetized small sections with coded digits. The thread can then be read by a magnetometer, including the kind "built into most smartphones."
That "means you could wear a bracelet that unlocks your bank or email account." A phone's magnetometer could also be used with smart fabric to turn "gestures into actions," so that wearing a magnetic glove would allow you to "close apps, unlock your phone, or pause your music," even when the phone is in your pocket.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Law firms: Caving to White House pressure
Feature Trump targets major law firms tied to his past investigations
By The Week US Published
-
Venezuelan deportees: Locked up for tattoos?
Feature A former pro soccer player was deported after U.S. authorities claimed his tattoo proved he belonged to a Venezuelan gang
By The Week US Published
-
Saving the post office
Feature The U.S. Postal Service is facing mounting losses and growing calls for privatization. Can it survive?
By The Week US Published