In the near future, you may be able to pay for items with just a swipe of your sleeve near the card reader instead of searching for your credit card in your wallet.

In a recently published paper, researchers at the University of California, Irvine, detailed how they developed a flexible textile that enables clothing to communicate with nearby devices. This technology advances near-field technology.

“If you place your smartphone or charge card close to the card reader to make the payment, then you have already taken advantage of near-field signal technology,” said co-author Peter Tseng, assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science at UCI. "Our fabrics work on the same principle, but we have greatly expanded the scope.

"This means you can put your phone in your pocket, just wipe your body with other textiles or readers, and electricity and information can be transmitted on your device."

Tseng said in a telephone interview that the main problem with near-field technology is its short distance, so that you have to be close to the reader. But the researchers' textile system acts as an intermediary between the phone and the reader, extending the range to more than 4 feet. Tseng said that "relays" are flexible and can criss-cross the body.

For fashion people among us, clothing styles need not be affected by the integration of new technologies. Tseng said that any number of unique designs can be placed on it.

"So this is the idea," Tseng said. "You embed these under or side by side with existing designs. Its role is to mediate or drive signals through your body." This technology is integrated into their products.

Lead author, UCI electrical engineering and computer science doctoral student Amirhossein Hajiaghajani stated that these textiles are designed to be incorporated into interesting designs.

Hajiaghajani said: "We hope to create designs that are not only cool and inexpensive, but also reduce the burden of modern electronic products on our lives."

In addition to contactless payment, this new technology has many applications. People no longer need keys or separate devices to unlock their cars. Employees can also use their clothes instead of badges to unlock facility doors.

Tseng said that this new application can also improve many near-field technology medical devices. The patient may no longer need so many sensors connected to the body. On the contrary, hospital gowns equipped with such textiles can track the vital signs of patients.

Another advantage of textiles is its low manufacturing cost, using etched copper foil and aluminum foil.

"The way we built it is very cheap," Zeng said. "You can build it at home."

Support our reporting by becoming a digital subscriber.

All the latest news from Orange County.

Get our free TimesOC newsletter.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from Daily Pilot.

Ben Brazil is a feature writer for TimesOC. He has previously reported on Huntington Beach for the Daily Pilot. Before joining Daily Pilot in September 2016, he was a reporter for City News Service, a Southern California news service. Brazil received a bachelor's degree in anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley. (714) 356-1396

After the delay, the first people in Orange County retained part of their ancestral village

Irvine Art Center launches "Manos", an exhibition about feeding hands

'This is the season of tamales, because preparations for the placental tamales are back

Brazilian fried dough sticks are added to South Coast Plaza Collage's products

Nochebuena: OC’s Latino population appears in mariachi festival performances across the county

Anaheim police officer who killed congressman's cousin has a history of fatal shooting

OC Board of Education again sues Governor Newsom over COVID-19 emergency