Now a shirt that helps you stay fit
The biometric smart shirt gives precise feedback on your workout through sensors and suggests ways to improve
OM Signal has launched a new line of biometric smartwear that is essentially a fitness-focused smart shirt that has the ability to track your performance levels and statistics accurately in real-time. This gives you all the information you need to be in complete charge of your workout. This shirt is aimed at people who are looking for precise feedback on their workouts, without having to pay for a personal trainer. This garment is packed with an impressive array of sensors. It has an in-built accelerometer and electrocardiogram sensor that lets you monitor variations in your heart beat over the course of the workout. The other sensors work together and calculate the number of calories burnt while exercising. The shirt has been created from a stretchable fabric that can be washed in a machine.
It has been designed to compress your torso and encourage blood flow during exercise and quicken recovery afterwards. With the use of a small waterproof black box, data collected by the smart shirt is relayed in real time via Bluetooth to the OM Signal companion app on the user’s smart phone. The black box, designed to clip to the exterior of the shirt, has an integrated battery and can operate for 30 hours of intensive workout time, or 3 to 4 days of continuous wear without recharging. The companion app shows you a wide array of information that is easily accessible, like heart rate, rate and depth of breathing, and stress level statistics. The app has a function that records significant health and stress related incidents that can be reviewed later.
As you progress with your workout, the app analyses all the biometric data collected and makes suggestions on how to improve the workout or lower stress levels. Suggestions may take the form of telling the user to breath deeper, or coaching them as to what their ideal cadence should be during a run, based on the biometric data supplied through the smart shirt’s sensors. OM signal offers its new range in four distinct styles, including, sleeveless, under-shirt, casual, and long-sleeved, catering for all weathers and exercise regimes. You can choose your style from six colours, and get one that fits you with sizes ranging from S to XL. The company also offers a smartphone sleeve, that will allow you to easily see the information being sent to your smartphone in the middle of your workout.
The makers of this smartwear are considering expanding to spheres other than sports and are in discussions regarding the application of their wearable technology in the field of medicine. They plan to make use of the shirt’s ability to monitor a person’s vital functions. They believe it can be a valuable aid for doctors and medical practitioners and help them in keeping a virtual eye on their patients.While this company is not the only one making wearable technology, it sure is branching out and creating an item that can do more than alert you when you receive a phone call, a text message, or a social media notification.
This article was first published on The Hindu and is available at http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/now-a-shirt-that-helps-you-stay-fit/article7553945.ece