Designer fitness tracking shirts hit stores

Ralph Lauren's new Polo Tech line launched in the United States this week as the trend toward healthcare wearable tech continues unabated.

The shirt 'merges biometrics into active lifestyle apparel', the US clothing giant Ralph Lauren said in a statement.

Developed with proprietary technology from Canadian-based OMsignal, the shirt has sensors knitted into it.

These include a three-leads ECG, a breathing sensor, a gyroscope and an accelerometer, allowing for deep analytics when biometrics and motion activity are set against proprietary algorithms.

Data outputs include energy level, heart rate, heart rate zones, heart-rate variability, breathing rate, breathing depth, breathing alerts, activity intensity, steps, and calories burned.

The data collected by the shirt is transmitted via Bluetooth technology to a 'black box', featuring an accelerometer and gyroscope, which capture movement and direction.

The black box then transmits the data into the cloud, where it is plugged into a number of algorithms that gauge performance-oriented biometrics, including heartbeat and respiration, as well as certain psychometrics, such as stress level and energy output. Users can access their data through an iPhone app.

“Our vision is that this will transcend sports to help us at every age and in every aspect of life. Reaching far beyond just the needs of elite athletes, Polo Tech will offer innovative technology for all ages and lifestyles to promote general wellness and quality of life”, said David Lauren, senior vice-president of advertising, marketing and public relations at Ralph Lauren.

The shirts are available at Ralph Lauren's flagship NYC store and its US Open store in Flushing, New York. A spokesperson told PMLiVE that the company is “still working through plans for broader distribution”.

OMSignal was founded in 2011. Its team includes experts in neuroscience, sports medicine, intelligent textile, software, and hardware engineering.

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