Fitness monitors are all over the place. From the Misfit Shine, to fitness watches, it seems that everyone is going through a fitness monitor craze. But what if you didn’t have to buy a separate device to be your fitness monitor. Or, what if it was a part of the clothes you wear every day. Thats what this new invention by the startup OMsignal aims to do – make the fitness monitor part of your fashion. That way you can monitor your fitness for longer, and hopefully end up leading a healthier lifestyle.
The way that this shirt works is that it’s essentially a compression shirt, or a shirt that is worn rather tight. It collects data through a number of sensors that are woven in to the shirt itself, and the data that the sensors collect is then sent to an app on your smartphone or computer. On this app, the wearer can view exertion, stress, and even their mood. After the data is collected the wearer can share it with loved ones, and even send an alert when it senses very high stress or a potentially dangerous situation.
The most difficult part in making the shirt was weaving the sensors into the fabric. The sensors are located slightly below the chest area – the best place to collect both heart rate and breathing information. The fact that the sensors are woven in to the fabric and not clipped or glued on to the shirt also makes them more comfortable to wear.
The shirt can be worn all day as an undershirt, or just as a gym shirt, and it is washable, although a small box must be removed before the shirt is exposed to water at all. This is the box that stores the data, and if you own multiple OMsignal shirts you can use the same box, so you don’t have to wash the same shirt every day.
OMsignal has tested the shirt with great success, claiming that it is much more accurate than other fitness monitors. They are now working with developers to develop an app for the device. Keep your eyes open for the shirt later this year!
