Tag: smart clothing

With a large number of different wearables on the market, it was the Sensoria Smart Socks that took the prize.

Though the majority of people picture fitness trackers and smartwatches when they think about wearable technology, it was a type of footwear that managed to take home the top title in the category from IDTechEx Printed Electronics USA 2015.

The event was the largest printed electronics and sensor event that has happened anywhere on the globe.

Though the competition was fierce, the “Best New Wearable Technology Device” that was named at the event was the Sensoria Smart Socks. They Printed Electronics Award was given to the footwear that was infused with textile sensors. The award itself was a recognition of the innovation, development and success of the company behind the wearable device.

Among the judges that determined that the smart socks should be the winner were several well known names, such as the U.S. Olympic Committee Senior Sports Technologist, Dr. Mounir Zok, PhD, as well as the London College of Fashion’s Head of Fashion Innovation Agency, Matthew Drinkwater. The award was presented to Sensoria by Henri Richard, the senior vice president of Sandisk Corporation.

This title is a highly coveted one by newcomers to the wearable technology industry that have released their first product.

According to the Sensoria CEO, Davide Vigano, “It’s such an incredible honor to be chosen for this award and especially by such an esteemed group of industry leaders.” He went on to explain that the team at Sensoria spent four years in research and development for the creation of their wearables in the form of smart socks. They had several challenges to overcome in order to ensure that they would be not only practical and functional but also comfortable for the wearer.

The final version of the wearable technology socks was created in order to ensure there would be a number of different potential applications throughout several industries, such as in fitness, sports, and even medicine. The smart socks have three soft, thin textile pressure sensors embedded within them. Any data collected from the socks is transmitted by a magnetic Bluetooth smart anklet that snaps onto the socks and wirelessly sends the info to the Sensoria mobile app.

The tech also has capabilities for supporting limbs and easing other types of medical struggle.

A new form of clinical wearable technology in the form of a garment called PlaySkin Lift brings together Spanx technology and a trunk brace in order to provide children with physical disabilities with a comfortable, lightweight garment that will assist them in areas where they struggle.

This smart clothing was designed by researchers from the University of Delaware and is making a difference.

That said, PlaySkin Lift is only one of a growing movement in medical wearable technology. This category is seeing many new entrants that have prototypes and products that are starting to have a positive impact on several different types of condition. For example, within the same building as the mobility lab at the University of Delaware’s STAR campus, there is another group of researchers that are currently placing the polishing touches on a type of vibrating shoe. These wearables are meant to assist people with Parkinson’s disease in being able to walk faster while being better capable of keeping their balance.

At the moment, the largest category of medical wearable technology is in fitness trackers, but that is changing.

Although consumer focused devices are meant to track steps, resting heart rates, sleep, calorie burning, and other common fitness related metrics, experts are now saying that there will one day be wearables that will be able to measure every component of a person’s physiology, which could be very helpful in improving health over the long term.

At the moment, there are already devices that are in the research and development phase that are meant to assist everyone from Alzheimer’s disease sufferers to individuals who are suffering from chronic pain. In the former category, there is a gadget in the works that is meant to stimulate individuals with that form of dementia. In the later, there is a leg belt that delivers an electrical current that is meant to relieve painful discomfort. There is even a personal light tracker that is being created to assist individuals with severe depression. There have already been many reports of contact lenses for individuals with diabetes, so that they can continually track and record their blood glucose levels.

These examples, alone, represent only a tiny fraction of what is currently in the works in clinical wearable technology, but they show that this is a significant category in which device are going to continue to be released over the long term.