New for Long Distance Lovers

As long as I know who exactly is squeezing me, I'm in.

Lover away? Hug your t-shirt to let them know you miss them

Long distance lovers used to rely on ink and scented paper. Then came telephones and the more succinct text message.

But by next year, the billet-doux will be transformed once again, into the "huggable t-shirt".

The intelligent top will use mobile phone technology to help couples embrace at a distance.

It is long-sleeved, fully washable and will cost about the same as an iPod, but is said to be more emotionally rewarding.

When hugged by a wearer, the shirt measures pressure, heartbeat and temperature.

It then transmits this data to a second wearer, whose shirt grows warm, tingly and administers "a bit of a squeeze" in the appropriate place. Ryan Genz, chief executive of manufacturer CuteCircuit, said it is the first item of clothing to allow touch over distance.

He said: "Young people are very excited and couples like it because it is something romantic. "It is a new kind of telecommunication, it adds diversity to how to talk to people. It is a world first.

"If you are separated from someone, the shirt can give a bit of a squeeze, and grows warm where the other person's hands are. So if I wanted to tap you on the shoulder, it would tingle in that place." More than 100 of the t-shirts will be available in Britain and America next year.

Found here.