Covert Couture: US to Invest $22M in Smart ePants For Spies

America’s fashion-forward secret agents are getting ready to rock the runway. The US government is investing in covert couture that will transform ordinary clothes into performance-grade, tech-savvy garments. It’s the latest brainchild of the Director of National Intelligence's Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA). 

The program is called Smart ePants - Smart Electrically Powered and Networked Textile Systems - and it is reportedly backed with a $22m investment. These chic garments will do it all: record audio, snap videos, pin down geolocation data, and collect other top-secret intelligence.

The program’s mission is to incorporate 'sensor systems' into clothing such as shirts, pants, socks, and underwear.

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Spy-wear chic

The clothing will be worn by the US Intelligence Community including operatives from the Department of Defense to Homeland Security and other sharply dressed agencies that crave clothing with superhuman abilities. 

The spy-wear isn't just for secret agents though. “This eTextile technology could also assist personnel and first responders in dangerous, high-stress environments, such as crime scenes and arms control inspections without impeding their ability to swiftly and safely operate,” IARPA said.

US government spooks announced the cutting-edge program in August 2023 so fashion lines haven't hit the runway just yet. Expect the surveillance technology to be woven into the clothing though, so the tech may not be visible to the naked eye. “Intelligence Community staff will be able to record information from their environment hands-free, without the need to wear uncomfortable, bulky, and rigid devices,” IARPA said.

Program development is expected to take place over three phases - an initial 18-month ‘proof of concept’ or ‘build it’ phase, a 12-month ‘wear it’ phase, and a 12-month ‘wash it’ phase.

Will the idea catch on? “A lot of the IARPA and DARPA programs are like throwing spaghetti against the refrigerator,” Annie Jacobsen, author of The Pentagon’s Brain and a Pulitzer Prize finalist, told The Intercept. “It may or may not stick.”

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eBond‍

Jacobsen said the advancement of smart wearables may lead to privacy concerns over biometric surveillance. “They’re now in a position of serious authority over you,” she added. “Suppose Smart ePants detect a chemical on your skin - imagine where that can lead.”

IARPA countered that its programs adhere to strict civil liberties and privacy protection protocols so they’re not fashionably late to the privacy party. In fact, their spy-wear may even turn 007 into a retro fashion icon.