Demand for smart clothing is picking up in Japan, promising a potential new source of income for the industry. Asahi Kasei will develop smart clothes that can monitor wearers’ health and maybe save their lives.

The Tokyo-based chemical company will partner with US subsidiary Zoll Medical to apply Asahi’s Roboden elastic wires to wearable devices. Potential uses include critical care and health monitoring.

Toray, known for carbon fiber, and telecom operator Nippon Telegraph & Telephone have developed the Hitoe polyester material that can detect faint electrical signals from the body’s surface. As well as measuring heart rate during sporting activities, the fabric is also used to measure the physical strain on factory workers laboring in hot environments. Hoping to capture new demand, Toray plans to begin sales of medical-use clothing for electrocardiography this year.

Textile maker Toyobo’s film-like Cocomi material contains a conductive layer that functions like an electrode. It is being tested in wearable products for bus and truck drivers with the aim of preventing sleeping at the wheel.

Fabric producer Kurabo has begun working with a transport operator to test a product aimed at preventing heatstroke.

Much more than strapping gadgets to wrists, faces, ears and feet, smart clothing can constantly track heart rate, monitor emotions and even pay for coffee. All without grabbing a phone or even tapping a smartwatch screen.