OMsignal has announced its new line of biometric smartwear, a fitness focused smart shirt with the ability to accurately track an individual's performance levels and vital stats in real time, giving users all the information they need to be fully in control of their workout. The smart shirt, which is currently only available for pre-order to male customers, represents another addition to the ever expanding market of health orientated wearable tech.
Ideal for those looking for precision feedback on their workout without wishing to pay out for a personal trainer, OMsignal's new line of smartwear boasts an impressive array of sensors. The smart shirt's inbuilt accelerometer and electrocardiogram sensor grants the user the ability to monitor variations in their heartbeat over the course of the workout, whilst other sensors work together to allow the amount of calories burnt while exercising to be calculated.
Created from a stretchable, machine washable fabric, the shirt is designed to compress the user's torso in order to encourage blood flow both during exercise, and after, to expedite recovery. With the use of a small waterproof black box, data collected by the smart shirt is relayed in real time via Bluetooth to the OMsignal 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.
Currently, the companion app is only available on IOS devices, with an Android version slated for development sometime in the future. The app displays a wide spectrum of easily accessible information, such as heart rate, depth and rate of breathing, and stress level statistics. The app also boasts a function which records significant health and stress related incidents for later review. Furthermore, as the user progresses with their workout, the companion app analyses the biometric data 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.
While it may be an impressive addition to your collection of workout gadgets, OMsignal's biometric smartwear is far from the only piece of technology enhanced clothing out there. One such example being Fraunhofer's FitnessSHIRT which, whilst still in development, boasts much of the same functionality. For example, the rival tech has the ability to measure an individual's heart and breathing rate, relaying said biometric data over Bluetooth from a device that clips to the users shirt, transferring the information to the user's smartphone.
Beyond this specific example, OMsignal must contend with a dizzying array of fitness wristbands and watches, such as Garmin's new vívofit, and other pieces of wearable tech, like the Glowfaster Fitness Jacket. However, with the growing demand for fitness orientated wearable tech, it is perhaps the sophistication, and workout prompts offered by OMsignal's companion app, that will give it an edge in what is quickly becoming a saturated market.
Due to begin shipping in the Northern Hemisphere summer , the company is offering their Up & Running Kit, which includes a shirt and little black box for an introductory rate of US$199. Once released in May, OMsignal will be offering its new range in four distinct styles, including, sleeveless, under-shirt, casual, and long-sleeved, catering for all weathers and exercise regimes. Customers will be able to choose from six colors, with sizes ranging from S to XL. OMsignal also offers a smartphone sleeve, allowing users to easily see the information being sent to their smartphone mid-workout.
The company is also considering expanding beyond the sporting sphere, with discussions taking place regarding the application of its wearable tech in the medical field. Utilizing the smart shirt's ability to monitor an individual's vital functions would be a valuable aide for medical practitioners in keeping a virtual eye on out patients.
Below is OMsignal's promotional video for its new smartwear range.
Source: OMsignal