Human touch ... Google technical program lead Dr Ivan Poupyrev wires a jacket tailored on London's Saville Row with a panel that could be tapped, stroked or rubbed to control devices like smartphones. Source: Supplied

Connected jackets with touchscreen-like sleeves, tiny radars that let you navigate gadgets by wiggling your fingers in the air, and smartphones you can assemble in less than a minute: Google showed off all three at its annual developer conference in San Francisco this morning.

The internet giant briefly opened the doors to one of its secretive research labs, named ATAP, to demonstrate working prototypes of the technologies, as well other projects to eliminate passwords, secure phones, and produce 360-degree films for phones.

Google engineering vice-president Regina Dugan, in charge of Advanced Technology and Products, described the research team as “a small band of pirates trying to do epic shit”.

Every touch of his finger registered on a computer ... Dr Ivan Poupyrev wears a jacket tailored on London’s Saville Row with a panel that could be tapped, stroked or rubbed to control devices like smartphones. Picture: Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson Source: Supplied

One of its “epic” programs unveiled at Google I/O, Project Jacquard, successfully added conductive wires to fabrics like silk and cotton, which could be used in everyday clothing and become the most subtle wearable technology yet.

Google technical program lead Dr Ivan Poupyrev, who worked on the project, wore its prototype at the event: a jacket tailored on London’s Saville Row with a panel that could be tapped, stroked or rubbed to control devices like smartphones.

Dr Poupyrev ran a finger over the wire-packed fabric to show every touch of his finger registered on a computer, and could then be used to navigate a smartphone.

Users could touch the material to scroll through information, select items, enlarge photos or open apps, for example.

“We don’t expect these textiles to be a replacement for touchscreens — the material is something completely different,” Dr Poupyrev said.

“It is something you can put on your body or your couch or on your pillow and many places that use textiles.”

The connected material would be connected to a small circuit, and was designed to withstand tough industrial manufacturing and clothes washing.

Technology on your sleeve ... Conductive wires can be added to fabrics like silk and cotton. Picture: Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson Source: Supplied

Dr Dugan said Google’s ATAP lab would team with traditional fashion labels to create clothing with the hi-tech fabric, announcing its first partnership would be with fellow San Francisco company Levi’s.

Levi’s global product innovation head Paul Dillinger would not confirm whether the multi-touch fabric would feature in its 501 jeans in future, but said Levi’s was keen to work on the project to “help us facilitate access to the best and most necessary of the digital world while maintaining eye contact with the person we are eating dinner with”.

In addition to smart clothing, Google showed off a way to use a smartwatch without touching its screen, instead making pinching gestures, rubbing your fingers together, and wiggling them in the air.

Technology one step beyond ... Operating a device with just the palm of your hand. Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson Source: Supplied

Project Soli, Dr Poupyrev said, used radar technology to register finger movements with a device that engineers shrank from larger than a phone to as small as a SIM card.

The device could be added to smartwatches to let users move around their screens by rubbing their index finger and thumb together, or change different settings by moving their fingers closer or further from a screen.

“We are planning to release (software) to developers later this year so (they) too can begin to experiment and play with this new sensing modality and create amazing things,” he said.

As widely rumoured, the internet giant also showed off a working prototype of its make-it-yourself phone, Project Ara, at Google I/O.

Decide what your want in your mobile ... Google plans easy-to-assemble phones. Picture: Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson Source: Supplied

Google ATAP software lead Rafa Camargo said the modular phone was “all about letting you decide what your device is and does,” and demonstrated the technology by building a working smartphone on stage in less than a minute.

Two small speaker units slid into the back of the phone, as well as a battery and processor.

Mr Camargo added a camera unit after he had already turned the phone on, but it instantly registered with the device and allowed him to take a photograph.

The modular phone is yet to get a release date.

Google also revealed it was working on a way to replace passwords by teaching phones how you type, speak and look, a tiny “mini computer” that could be added to phones to secure information called Project Vault, and a new style of films created in 360-degrees and designed to be viewed on phones and coming to YouTube.

Google’s Spotlight Stories app is available in its app store now, and will include a short film called Help from Furious 7 director Justin Lin.

jennifer.dudley@news.com.au