Move over heart rate straps and clunky watches—the future of wearable technology is no longer in our hands (or wrists), but on our clothes. Well, in our clothes, to be exact. Some smart clothes have the ability to track your heart rate and body movement, while others can even give you a real-time perspective on how hard your favourite athlete is working during competition. Interested? Check out these brands that are making waves and changing the way we track our workouts.

 

 

 

FirstV1sion Wearable Broadcast System
Just how hard are the players on your favourite sports team working? FirstV1sion wants to let you in and see for yourself with their wearable broadcast system that allows fans to experience a game from the athlete’s point of view. The shirts are fitted with sensors so you can track each athlete’s biometric data such as their heart rate during competition. A small HD camera and microphone is also placed on the front of their shirts to steam a live video of them in action.  

 

 

 

Hexoskin smart shirts are made in Canada using a lightweight and breathable quick-dry Italian fabric with seasonal options—a sleeveless tank for the summer, and a long sleeved shirt for cooler temperatures. Hexoskin’s shirt is able to capture all kinds data including heart rate zones, breathing rate, minute ventilation (total volume of air inhaled in a minute) and running cadence. Hexoskin technology is compatible with the Apple Watch and both iOS and Android smartphones.

 

 

 

The stylish PoloTech Shirt combines fashion and fitness in a snug, polyester/nylon/spandex blend with their signature pony and “Polo Sport” logo printed on the front. The shirt is outfitted with fibres woven into the fabric that works with a small black box that attaches to your chest to track your workout. The PoloTech iOS app works along with the shirt to provide workout programs that adapt and change in real time based on your biometric data.

 

 

 

What if your clothes could keep you from getting injured? Heddoko provides a full-body suit that tracks your body movement in 3D and analyzes data such as joint angles and movement precision during exercise to identify poor movement patterns and imbalances that can lead to injury. Perhaps one of the most innovative aspects benefits of Heddoko’s smart garment is the fact that you can watch a simulated 3D reproduction of your body’s movements to gain perspective on how your entire body moves. The downside is the fact that these suits are still not available for purchase, but you can sign up for product updates on Heddoko’s website.

 

 

 

In addition to heart rate and breathing sensors, Athos clothing uses surface Electomyography technology to measure the amount of electrical activity generated by muscles during a workout. The result is an accurate estimate of your muscle’s effort, particularly useful when comparing the left and right side of your body to ensure that your workouts are balanced. Athos currently integrates this technology into shirts and shorts to allow for upper- and lower-body activity measurement.

 

   

 

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