O'Neill NavJacket

Moving on from their h2 series, O'Neill have announced the launch of their NavJacket - a satellite navigation system embedded into a Gore-Tex jacket and intended for the mountains. Not only will the jacket have GPS but an integrated display (on the sleeve) and instructions fed to headphones in the hood.

The NavJacket is the result of a collaboration between O'Neill's Wearable Electronics Division and MyGuide - a leading GPS navigation solutions company.

There's much more in the NavJacket than navigation however, it will also tell you your speed, up-to-date local weather forecasts and details about your route including distances and times. All of this is shown on the flexible display embedded into the jacket's sleeve. Connected to the GPS system is a mobile phone and this will provide you with 3D views of places along your intended route as well as destinations. Furthermore, you can find your friends or just follow similar pathes so that you all end up at the same place. All in all it sounds very exciting and nicely illustrates just how fast wearable technolgy is moving.

O'Neill will be testing the NavJacket in the Alps this Winter and are targetting the Autumn/Winter season of 2008/9 for full release.

Due out late next year is O'Neill Europe's jacket with some kind of integral, flexible display in the sleeve and audio in the hood. Using embedded GIS, they would provide navigation, weather, and friend-location information as well as spoken directions down a mountain.