Tag Archives: Smart Shirt

Ralph Lauren and OMSignal Launch Smart Shirt That Tracks Breathing

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Polo Tech - Ralph Lauren - OMSignal - Smart Shirt

Haute couture designers often surprise the world by creating unusual apparel. This time, Ralph Lauren collaborated with biotech firm OMSignal to develop a compression garment that collects biometric data and sends it to smartphones and tablets.

The Polo Tech shirt developed by the two companies will make its debut at the U.S. Open, but contrary to people’s expectations, it won’t be worn by the tennis players. Instead, the ball boys at the tournament will show the world how biometric data is collected with the help of a smart sensor.

OmSignal co-founder and CEO Stephane Marceau explained how the collaboration with Ralph Lauren started on the right foot from the very first meeting: “From the first meeting, we realized David [Lauren] and the team had a very clear point of view on wearable. They were immersed in it, they were very aware of what was going on.”

Marceau also explained that “The shirt is the sensor. We capture what we call the ‘ABC’ of health and wellness. A is for activity, movement…B is for breathing, C is for Cardiac”

David Lauren is aware that the Polo Tech shirt is the first of its kind in the fashion industry, and is quite enthusiastic about that: “Small niche brands have been attempting [smart clothing]. This is definitely the most forward, most cutting edge of all of them, for what we can tell, and merging it with our brand, the sophistication of our fabrics, the lifestyle philosophy is equally important.”

Lauren also explained that fashion should align to modern times, and that wearable technology plays a great role in that: “Our goal is to create and reflect the ultimate lifestyle, and we believe that a healthy and active life is an essential part of that. Ralph Lauren is excited to help lead the industry in wearable technology in this ever-evolving, modern world.”

In the not so distant future, this technology will make its way into Polo shirts, suits, and baby clothes. Lauren pointed out that “This fabric, this material can be used to help you live a better life at any age.”

As clothes finally gain some additional functionality, Lauren admits that “Our goal is to recognize the fact that this market is wanting a life that not only looks better, but actually feels better and is a healthier life.”

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the Cityzen smart shirt that acts like a fitness tracker, and the OMSignal workout clothes that share biometric data with your smartphone.

Cityzen Smart Shirt Acts as a Health Tracker, Recharges by Washing

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Cityzen Smart Shirt Sensing Fabric Health Monitoring

France, the homeland of haute couture, has yet one more reason to be proud of its creative minds, who have developed a fabric embedded with health tracking sensors.

Smart clothes are definitely not something new, as we’ve seen smart socks and even mood sweaters that give an visual interpretation of your feelings. Still, Cityzen’s approach is truly innovative, as it packs sensors within the fabric. With the help of these sensors, such aspects as body heat, heart rate, motion and location can be easily monitored. Initially presented at CES, last month, the Smart Sensing fabric brought Cityzen the Inclusive Innovation in Everyday Health award, a sign that cutting edge technology gets its deserved recognition.

Since there is no way such a shirt could pack a display (regardless of how advanced it is), all the data collected by the sensors is transmitted to a smartphone via Bluetooth, as seen in the above image.

Gilbert Reveillon, Cityzen’s international managing director, pointed out that the Smart Sensing textile could have many applications: “The fabric can be made into any clothing: gloves, shirts, pants, you name it. It is the first time ever that we managed to mix these two industries, embedding sensors into textile.”

According to Reveillon, the Cityzen smart shirt could revolutionize detection of serious health problems: “You can’t prevent a heart attack from happening, but you could definitely detect it hours, or even days, ahead of it taking place.”

Moreover, the smart fabric could also be used for athletic apparel and sports clothing, as Reveillon explains “On the field, a coach could tell when a member of the team has been running over capacity and put in a fresh player.” To accomplish this, Cityzen Sciences worked together with major French sports teams, in conjunction with members of the health industry.

Reveillon also revealed that while at CES, one of his company’s employees went for an hour-long walk on the Las Vegas strip wearing a t-shirt made from the smart fabric. The vital signs were displayed all the time on a smartphone screen and “The Las Vegas street definitely increases the heartbeat. The vibes are very positive.”

While the fabric can be ironed and washed without any problems, charging it simply by washing is a work in progress, but Reveillon promised that “In two years’ time, by washing it, you will recharge the batteries.” Now that’s a feature I’d like to see in person!

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories such as this one about smart pajamas that talk children into sleeping or the smart socks that track workouts.