New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Innercell embeds games, videos and other digital content into any promotional T-shirt. With Innercell, important product information can never be lost, thrown away or destroyed.
California-based start-up Innercell, Inc., in collaboration with online retailer UnderRepped, announced today the launch of a technology platform designed to wirelessly connect common consumer products such as clothing, appliances and housewares to the
Internet of Things.
Available today, in the MIT campus museum gift shop, is a T-shirt depicting the image of inventor and physicist, Nikola Tesla. Labeling on the shirt instructs the wearer to 'tap' the sleeve with a NFC-enabled mobile device to activate a special historical video and other content that has been permanently embedded within the garment.
Fans of the T-shirt demonstrate how easy and quick the technology performs: A washable NFC tag embedded within the sleeve serves as a hot spot. Place a mobile phone within a few centimeters of the tag and, instantly, a short video begins telling the story of Nikola Tesla.
With Innercell's patented technology, consumers can use their mobile devices to access a variety of digital content embedded within the products they buy. The system functions utilizing Near Field Communication (NFC), the same technology that facilitates retail payments via mobile phones such as Android and Apple Pay.
To access Innercell content, the system does not require users to purchase an app nor does it require users to download special software. The service is free and operates automatically through the pre-installed mobile browser built into most Android and Windows smart phones.
Innercell Co-Founder, Dan Jordan, describes the need for such technology: "Information critical to the use and function of a product should never be separated from that product. With Innercell, important safety instructions and recall information can be permanently encoded within the item, never to be lost or thrown away."
The company co-founder describes the T-shirts as one exciting implementation of the technology but insists the potential extends far beyond gift shops and promotional products. "The future of this technology is in allowing companies to embed anti-counterfeiting systems, manuals, discount coupons and warranty cards directly into the products themselves. "For now, T-shirts provide consumers with a fun, non-threatening way of becoming acquainted with the technology," Jordan said.
The company admits NFC technology is still in an infancy stage. However, with new mobile payment options and creative NFC marketing campaigns, consumers are slowly becoming aware of the convenience the technology affords. Reports on NFC suggest its use will increase dramatically in the next couple of years.
Products that support NFC today are still limited, but it is predicted that in the coming years, the growth of NFC will enhance customer experience and customer service everywhere.
