Recently, engineers at the MIT-Massachusetts Institute of Technology have created smart fibers that have been able to detect the movements of those who wear them. Prototypes of jackets, socks or gloves are made from a mixture of traditional fibers and tactile electronic materials that are sensitive to pressure, and their purpose is to study a person’s physical condition; they recommend doing some exercises and also ensure that they are done correctly to avoid injuries.

Another closer example of more than one prototype is the creation of the world’s first intelligent and connected carbon foot guards. In 2020, the Club Atlético Osasun team signed an agreement with Telefónica and the startup HUMANoX to develop Cantera Salud (#canterasalud). The aim of this initiative is to improve the sports performance and health of more than 18,000 children in its subsidiaries and all the clubs associated with the Navarra club throughout the community. These devices, the only ones in the world, are equipped with smart sensors and provide thousands of data, in real time, about the health status or performance of each player, in training and official matches, thanks to the mobile connectivity provided by the operator.

Tendency

Also in 2020, Juniper Research, a consulting company specializing in technology and the digital sector, after analyzing the laptop market, set out in a report a positive trend for the smart clothing market in the coming years. According to the study, this area, which generated $ 1 billion in 2020, will reach $ 11,000 in 2025 due to the boost the fitness sector will provide.

An increasingly wide range of clothing has been added to the bracelets that track activity and have GPS capability. Today, the incorporation of ‘smart’ fibers into traditional fabrics has created major alliances between the textile and technology industries, such as that achieved between Levi’s and Google, to create a jacket that controls a smartphone with user gestures.

Applications in sports

The development of this type of wearable technology, also known as ‘wearable’, has a lot to do with the development of new technologies and their application in elite sports. The reason is that this type of connected device allows you to track your training and set new competitive goals, creating added value, which is to take care of the health of athletes.

One of the great promoters has been the king of sports. Lightweight training vests with integrated GPS can already be seen on football fields. These include the heart rate, acceleration, deceleration, number of passes passed, number of miles made, body impacts, and wear of each player to analyze this information and improve performance. Knowing the health status of each athlete will determine their ability to adapt to high-intensity activities.

The oldest online

But it’s not just limited to the sports field. This technology has made a logical leap towards the healthcare sector. For example, smart pajamas measure heart rate and breathing capacity, especially to monitor the health of the elderly. An example is ‘Phyjama’, a sensory garment that helps patients with sleep problems because it can predict their sleeping position.

There are other models of clothing for laptops that include a GPS search engine that is activated when a person is away from home, as well as sneakers that are capable of analyzing biomechanical data, providing enough information to prevent falls. All of this benefits the well-being of the elderly.

Smart fashion

In addition to activity bracelets and smart watches with more and more features, such as the number of steps taken per day, recording calories burned or heartbeats in a workout at all times, there are other gadgets such as smart, smaller and lighter rings. These are a good option for those who like to run, as they also include NFC technology to make payments, or to control the connected phone. There are also tissues that are able to detect heat and moisture in the human body, which are activated to regulate its temperature.

Closer to fashion are some interesting examples like Samsung’s NFC smart suit, which allows the user to unlock the phone, digitally exchange business cards, and set up devices in office and driving modes.

What technologies do you use?

Because of all this, the use of technologies like IoT, Big Data and 5G is essential. On the one hand, the connectivity of clothes or gadgets is necessary to transmit data. On the other hand, a high-capacity mobile network, whose low latency allows all information to be transmitted immediately, and finally, a technology capable of analyzing this large amount of data.