Omsignal 'smart shirts' move activity tracking from the wrist to the chest
Fitness buffs and "quantified self" aficionados now have a new, questionably fashionable way to monitor their bodies' status thanks to a new line of compression shirts that come with a network of embedded sensors.
The shirts are interwoven with a set of sensors that track heart rate, breathing rate, breathing depth, activity intensity, steps walked, calories burned, and heart rate variability. Data is transmitted from the shirts' sensors to a small "black box" that users are asked to clip onto their shirt, which in turn relays the information to a companion iOS app via a Bluetooth 4.0 signal.
Vital signs are collated by the app and are tracked by "RPM" and "Fuel" gauges. OMSignal says that the Fuel gauge tells users how much energy their body has left, while the RPM gauge visualizes their current level of focus and physical stress.
While wearing the shirt, the app will alert users when certain parameters run out of healthy norms. Gym goers might receive a notification that their breathing is too shallow, for example, while office workers might be reminded to get up and stretch if they have been sitting for too long.
According to OMSignal, the black box is good for up to 30 hours of activity tracking between recharges. The shirts themselves are not powered, and they are machine washable -- though the black box is merely "water resistant" and will deflect sweat and light rain, though it should not be worn while swimming.
OMsignal shirts are available for pre-order directly from the manufacturer and are slated to ship this summer. A single long-sleeved shirt and black box set comes in at $199, while sleeveless and short sleeved versions are also available.
The shirts are interwoven with a set of sensors that track heart rate, breathing rate, breathing depth, activity intensity, steps walked, calories burned, and heart rate variability. Data is transmitted from the shirts' sensors to a small "black box" that users are asked to clip onto their shirt, which in turn relays the information to a companion iOS app via a Bluetooth 4.0 signal.
Vital signs are collated by the app and are tracked by "RPM" and "Fuel" gauges. OMSignal says that the Fuel gauge tells users how much energy their body has left, while the RPM gauge visualizes their current level of focus and physical stress.
While wearing the shirt, the app will alert users when certain parameters run out of healthy norms. Gym goers might receive a notification that their breathing is too shallow, for example, while office workers might be reminded to get up and stretch if they have been sitting for too long.
According to OMSignal, the black box is good for up to 30 hours of activity tracking between recharges. The shirts themselves are not powered, and they are machine washable -- though the black box is merely "water resistant" and will deflect sweat and light rain, though it should not be worn while swimming.
OMsignal shirts are available for pre-order directly from the manufacturer and are slated to ship this summer. A single long-sleeved shirt and black box set comes in at $199, while sleeveless and short sleeved versions are also available.
Comments
EDIT:
I commented on wrong thread.
Damn I missed where they acquired this. Link?
In other news Dolly Parton had to return her shirt when her iPhone exploded during testing.
Damn I missed where they acquired this. Link?
Wrong thread, sorry.
One would think people would be able to tell things like these themselves, especially since mankind has already done so for centuries.
Who thinks this product is great? Wants to record every single tiddybitty in bodily changes? Will act upon what the app tells you?
Fully agree. Just don't get why someone would leave their baby out on the balcony overnight?
Than heavens lol, had me worried.
Laugh all you want. Shoes were weird once.
I disagree. Ever seen professionals train for sports? They have coaches and often videos of themselves. When you're "in the zone", something is happening very quickly, and/or too much is happening at once it's hard to know exactly what is going on and how you can make yourself more efficient. I think this could be a great asset to increasing your speed, duration, agility, stamina, performance, etc.
That's true. Professional athletes indeed make use of video, and high-tech clothing in order to gain just that little extra speed/performance. However, I don't think a single cloth design is going to do it; you'll need a specific design for each specific sport.
But that's only for running, not an end-all solution, as the shirt in article implies (to me). That Nike shirt does seem to help, a little bit, but way less than other things, like nutrition:
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/olympics/articles/2012/09/06/20120906olympics-new-performance-devices.html
I for one don't think this particular shirt will help me, (i'm not a pro anyway) and they're quite expensive:
$240 for one shirt, $340 for two or $450 for four shirts - regular price (the article lists their promo price, applies on all shirts ATM). And that includes one Tracking Module, obviously. To me it makes more sense to have dedicated sensors and wear what you like, from a proven brand, that has a variety of options for all weather types.
They do have one thing that peaks my interest: a smartphone sleeve, $29