Kenpo Inc. is manufacturing the Kenpo Jacket for iPod, recently released in stores including Macy's, Dillard's and CompUSA.

The coat utilizes a smart fabric touchpad technology that transforms sleeves into a 5-button electronic control panel. The touch sensitive fabric ElekTex was developed by Eleksen and creates an easily accessible interface between users and their iPods, allowing wearers to play, pause, skip tracks and adjust volume.

ElekTex is a five-layer laminate of electrically conductive materials that transforms fabric into an electronic touchpad. The technology replaces the hard touch pads, flexi-circuits and polymer switches that have limited the growth of the wearable electronics market. ElekTex is lightweight, flexible, durable and washable.

The Kenpo Jacket for iPod is available in four men's styles, has a suggested retail price of US$275 and is available at leading department stores as well as online. The jacket is machine washable, requires no batteries and is completely self-powered.