What if your shirt could improve your golf swing, jump shot or shave a few seconds off your next marathon? In the past, this could really only be accomplished by testing your performance and to a lesser extent, visual inspection. For example, let’s say that your goal is to increase your aerobic capacity or stamina. To reach that goal you decide to tack a few extra miles onto your next jog. But how would you know if you have actually been able to improve your cardiovascular system? You would need to be able to measure things like your heart rate, blood pressure, and body fat – also known as your biometrics. Biometrics is the measurement of physical traits or behaviors and recently, wearable biometrics or – smart clothes – have taken on a life of their own.
How do smart clothes work?
There are a number of technologies at work in smart clothes, one being the textile and yarn. Special yarn or weavable fiber can be coated with thin layers of metals making them conductive yet allowing them to be twisted with natural fibers. These yarns can be used with the same weave as classical yarns. Another key technology is the information systems that can be tapped with the use of transmitters that are also attached to the fabric. Sensors woven into the fabric act as the biometric unit picking up on information like your heart rate and even perform the telemetry portion of sending it to your watch, smart-phone or laptop to be reviewed.
So where can you find smart clothes? Some products are still in the prototype phase and not yet available in stores. But here are some of the clothes that are, or will be, available in the near future to keep you on track for your next big race or just keep your physical health in tip top condition.
Under Armour E39 Shirt
This sports apparel company teamed up with Zephyr Technology to create the E39, which has a monitoring device in the middle of the shirt that will record your every move. Zephyr has used the technology in the E39 for U.S. special forces, so you know its got to be on point. Although the E39 shirt won’t be available for purchase until 2013, it promises to do all kinds of cool stuff from tracking your heart rate, your breathing and even the G-forces produced when you take a tight corner on your runs. Special sensors in the shirt pick up electrical signals from your body. The data will then be uploaded and transmitted to any a handheld device of your choosing.
LifeShirt System
VivoMetric, a health device company, created an updated prototype of their original LifeShirt system. The Lycra-type vest will be used to monitor vital signs of the wearer including heart rate, blood pressure and body posture. It collects this information in real time and sends it wirelessly to a monitoring station. You can use it while you’re running or bicycling or any other sport to keep track of your cardio system.
nECG Shirt
Nuubo is a wearable device company based in Spain that designs shirts to collect biometric data not only a wearer’s vital signs, but also how active a person is. This shirt uses a technology called BlendFix electrode that can measure a person’s movement. The nECG Minder sends data in real time to a wireless device or system for review. This gadget is similar to the one in your smart-phone, which enables it to “know” when you turn your phone on and adjust the screen accordingly.
iLoad Medicine Shirt
Schoeller Textile AG is a Swiss company that has developed a shirt that can be loaded with your medication via a transdermal (through the skin) delivery system. The fabric is what can be loaded with medicine and will dispense it depending on the dosing frequency. These shirts can deliver a number of meds ranging from anti-aging to nicotine control. The textile design allows the shirt to be “loaded,” used, washed and then reloaded with a new dose when you’re ready to wear it.
The Sleep Shirt
Always too tired to work out? The company Rest Devices has developed a shirt that monitors and records sleep activity and respiration. Two sensors in the shirt monitor your body and how your breathing while you rest. The data is then uploaded to the company’s website for review. Through analyzing your data, researchers can tell you how much and how well you’re sleeping and/or if you have any breathing problems like sleep apnea.
Smart clothes are allowing for breakthroughs in everything from medicine, fitness and sleep by giving users the ability to monitor themselves in real time. Wearers can adjust their posture, breathing, how hard they contract muscles, or how fast they are going based on their clothing’s feedback. Now the question is, will you listen to what you shirt is telling you?
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