Here are 3 smart apparel companies at CES: 2018 that you can visit right now, to help you gather data about your body and one will even turn it into a VR controller! Take these wearables on your fitness journey!
QUS
VR Fitness Insider got to check out QUS smart clothing at CES. The Austrian smart textile company has been developing their product for 3 years and can be worn during exercise to get accurate health and fitness data. QUS has 2 textile sensors that measure heart rate and breathing rate, as well as GPS and acceleration. The QUS sensors are located on the back of the shirt and are removable from the onboarding unit where it clips into. Wear QUS shirts during a full body VR workout like The Fastest Fist and Thrill of the Fight, and then combat sweat by easily removing the sensors and washing it. Textile fibers inside the shirt are all machine friendly.
The smart shirt has already been worn by soccer teams and helps coaches and trainers get results and information about their players. Get a Game Report from the paired app and see feedback on heart rate and how you or the team are doing during training or competition. Worn during a nap or through the night, QUS can provide valuable sleep data so wearers can see if they’re getting quality sleep. The information can be saved in the app and cloud storage for easy access wherever you are.
The current price of the QUS smart shirt is $350 and isn’t yet available to the public just yet, but the company is aiming for June 2018 for a full release.
You can find QUS at CES: 2018 in Las Vegas, January 9-12, at Tech West, Sands Expo, Level 2, Halls A-D and Venetian; and also at Level 2 Meeting Rooms #44922.
Sensoria Fitness
Wearing smart shirts and socks from Sensoria Fitness will supply wearers with fitness data that’s paired with an app. Their front facing and dual sock sensors and anklet will send real-time audio information about foot impact forces, pace, distance, heart rate, and fatigue levels as you workout, or will be sent to the app. This is extremely helpful whether you’re prepping for a marathon or punching to the beat in BOX VR, where any tracked information can be used to improve lap times or help you reach your target heart rate.
Sensoria Fitness smart clothing isn’t limited to socks with sensors, they also have short sleeved shirts, sleeveless shirts (tank tops), and sports bras with sensors too. The top sensors are located at the point where the chest meets the abdomen. They can read heart rate fluctuations without an annoying strap and can be removed for washing. The smart clothing fabric is antimicrobial, moisture wicking, and feels soft and breathable on the skin.
You can buy a pair of Sensoria Fitness socks with the sensors for $49, an anklet for $159, and the heart rate monitor for $79 on its own. The apparel will run you $119-$139 with sensors or without sensors for $69-$79. For further pricing on all products visit their website. Each fitness sensor has a battery life of over 8 months depending on use and is compatible with apps like Strava, Runtastic, PolarBeat.
Visit the Sensoria Fitness booth at CES: 2018 at Sands, Halls A-D, Booth #44334 for more information about their smart apparel line.
Xenoma
In the past, we’ve covered how Xenoma’s smart e-skin shirt has changed the way we look at smart wearables and their uses in VR. The e-skin long sleeve compression shirt has 14 strategically placed sensors woven into the front and back side of the shirt. The water and sweat-friendly textile can bend and flex with the body as it runs, jumps, and fights in VR games. The smart shirt uses the 14 upper body sensors along with a removable accelerometer and gyroscope at the chest to track motion (without a camera), respiration levels, and fluctuating body temperatures.
The e-skin shirt has Bluetooth connectivity, so its wearer can link to VR, AR, and MR headsets, computers, and smartphones to see more information about how their body reacted to playing games in VR. Wearing e-skin with a compatible VR game can also turn the body into a gaming controller. Trainers and athletes will get a lot of useful stats on appropriate posture, form and other helpful data that could prevent overuse and injury. Xenoma announced at CES: 2018 that they will be joining the effort to help patients with dementia via their smart apparel’s motion tracking capabilities.
Xenoma is expected to launch their dev kit in Q1 of 2018 for creators and developers to start building e-skin compatible games, experiences, and applications. You can sign up for access to their dev kit for $5,000. There’s no word yet on how much or when the public can purchase an e-skin shirt, but there are rumors that they could start selling this year.
Check out Xenoma at their CES: 2018 booth at Sands Expo, Halls A-D, Booth #44216 for more information about the smart sensing e-skin shirt.
Did you attend CES? Let us know if you found any exciting new wearables down in the comments section!
