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Despite a lot of research and even more hype, wearable computers are still far from practical. One snag is that connecting wires get tangled and damaged during cleaning, so the owner ends up with high-tech clothing that’s too filthy to wear. Now Dutch electronics giant Philips has filed a clutch of patents that claim to solve these problems (WO 01957512 and GB 2364827). One trick is to put the electronics in removable pockets. And instead of burying the wiring inside the garment, it can be bonded to fabric strips that are unzipped and removed before the clothes go in the wash. Metal press studs to fix the strips can double as sockets and switches.