Clothes
Smart clothing, or E-textiles, involves the use of innovative materials and special conductive threads In clothes, which would ensure the transfer of any data to the interfaced devices.
Independence, despite the futuristic screenshots, yet one should not wait: shirts with displays and an internal operating system will not go into fashion soon. The main tasks that stimulate the niche:
- Health monitoring
- Tracking of sports results
- Service part: contactless payments
However, health control should be divided into several subcategories:
- Consumer smart clothing: I, for example, want to “pulse” the pulse
- And smart control of the “business class”: monitoring the workforce, as well as tracing in the professions, on which directly depends the lives of others (pilots, firefighters, etc.)
It should also be noted the interest of professional medicine: there will be appropriate stimulating smart clothes, which through stimulation can return sensitivity to the body after serious injuries.
Smart clothes – what IDC says
In one of the latest reports – March of the current year – IDC analysts give a chance immediately under 10% growth in the next five years. If you add also accessories like smart glasses, then just all ten.
Their conclusions, they probably based on what is already there and on those concepts , Which somehow sound the press.
Smart clothes – that is now: from head to toe
If you take any materials for the last year, then the bulk falls on the category of sports. Moreover, there are no radical changes in the collections: for example, here is an article from 2016. And now – the beginning of 2017.
The very top. In March, it became known that Google patented the cap with the camera.
However, the most loud project of Google to date in this area is “Jacquard”, which will be implemented in conjunction with Levi’s .
Next. Sensoria, Athos, OMSignal, Polar and many, including less well-known brands that focus on smart clothes for sports. The main task of the development is to provide a solution that would allow to record sports achievements and monitor the state of health. First of all – the pulse.
One of such examples we described not so long ago is the cardio-T-shirt CB-Sport.
We descend below. Clever shorts Lumo Run. Speaking frankly, Lumo Run is a sensor for tracking movements during running. Lumo simply offers its own special clothes for men and women.
The sensor can be bought as a set, or separately, to monitor the pace, speed, movements of the pelvis and some other indicators.
Socks. There are several known variants: first, Sensoria. Socks, to which a special sensor is attached to monitor the correctness of movements during running. Also worth recalling are “socks that do not smell”, with Kickstarter. Well, numerous “waterproof” tourist with Aliexpress.
The “medical division” of smart socks also has its own ideas: socks for diabetics were recently announced that will be able to analyze the condition of feet and Prevent diabetic foot. If possible, of course.
There are many “open” parts of the body: the neck, hands. However, probably, we will be forced to include sooner or later smart jewelry as an integral part of “costume” in the category of clothing. By analogy with how it is located in clothing stores.
Clever strap from C-Lab. The creative division of Samsung even pulled out its belt on Kickstarter.
He controls the diet, activity and shows how many people spend time sitting.
Nevertheless, Samsung makes smart clothes under its own brand. The company showed a smart NFC-suit for making contactless payments.
Gloves. The presence of “special” threads allows you to add to the category of smart clothes banal gloves for touch screens. Also, warm gloves should be added here. And in general – warm clothes.
Underwear. It is also quite a lot, both at the level of concepts, and already implemented projects. Some projects also exploit the health theme, like, for example, Spinali Design.
Swimsuits Spinali can monitor how much of the ultraviolet you have already received, and whether it’s time to move to the tent. Also, recently the company produces smart jeans, smart connected dresses and a line of products for children.
As a short summary
It should be said that now the consumer market of smart clothing forms the demands of athletes. There are no serious mass consumer launches in this niche yet, and, apparently, in the near future is not expected.
Sports smart clothes, in any case, the part that “on top”: T-shirts, T-shirts, sconces are losing at a price, though less comfortable with heart rate monitors, but more understandable and affordable. And already quite massive.
