Apple is one of several companies and organizations teaming up with the Pentagon to develop high-tech wearables for the U.S. military.
The goal of the $171 million project? To develop stretchable electronics that can worn by soldiers, and eventually used for real-time monitoring of the structural integrity of ships and warplanes.
Brought together under the name FlexTech Alliance, the project brings together 162 companies, universities and other groups, including Boeing and Harvard.
“I’ve been pushing the Pentagon to think outside our five-sided box and invest in innovation here in Silicon Valley and in tech communities across the country,” Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Friday. Carter visited California four months back, when he met with members of the tech community.
The Flexible Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing Innovation Hub will be based in San Jose. It is the seventh of nine institutes planned by the Obama administration to help revitalize U.S. manufacturing sectors, several of which are defense-related.
In related news, an interesting story published today by Politico discusses how Tim Cook — unlike his predecessor Steve Jobs — has become heavily involved with politics during his tenure at Apple.
Source: Reuters
