How Smart Clothing Can Benefit Active Individuals

Trends of Wearable Technology Today

The latest frontier of fitness technology has been modified into smartwatches and wristbands, which has left some wondering if wearable brands can innovate further.

Having fitness information within eyesight is always convenient, but watches may not col left information as concisely as we would prefer.
Digital watches advantageously display smartphone information without draining the phone device’s battery life but seems to fall short in other areas.

For those involved in fitness, the watches serve as sensors to show the efficiency of our workouts, but this data may not be quite as accurate as we would think.

Because the information collected isn’t 100% accurate yet and the battery life is still relatively short for a rechargeable device, smartwatches haven’t become as practical for a majority of consumers yet.

Rather than simply relying on fitness trackers for data, fashionable smart clothing that manage data could be created to maintain healthy, active lifestyles.

How Smart Clothing Can Benefit Active Individuals

As the prices for sensor technology continues to fall in the coming years, the transition of technology being incorporated into our clothing has become more sensible.

More and more clothing designers have added these e-textile sensors into their fabrics that can gather more important information with active heart rate and sweat perspiration levels to monitor everything from calorie expenditure to daily stress levels.

Woven sensors are created using electrically conductive yarn to function as “wearable motherboard”. This motherboard can then be connected to several sensors placed in fabric using electrical fibers that are woven into the fabric.

These clothing designs can help benefit active professionals, as this clothing can alternatively be worn in the gym or blend in naturally with your business casual attire at work.

Woven sensors can be found today in designs from athletic shirts, jean jackets, and even sports jackets.

Smart clothing for fitness and health tracking makes a lot more sense since it’s worn much closer to the body than a wristwatch, which is why even smart underwear is being manufactured.

Wearing this new clothing technology will not only benefit fitness individuals but also lead to breakthroughs in biomedicine with data that can prevent heart formalities that can occur through neglect of regular diet and exercise.

A physician can read your biometric information and give a more accurate diagnosis when it’s most needed.

Risks of Smart Clothing Technology

Technology is usually a double-edged sword, where the benefits of innovation can lead to some disadvantages that are often overlooked by its creators.

Smart clothing essentially functions as a wearable computer that can be worn your body and paired with a smartphone device to serve as a monitor. While this emerging technology sounds incredibly resourceful and convenient, it does bring concern over possible security issues.

Data transmitted from watches to smartphones can be intercepted by intruders and information stored on the cloud can be breached by hackers, which can alarm many users that can truly benefit from wearable technology.

With wearable technology becoming a fixated trend over the next 3-5 years, there should be operating protocols in place to protect users’ private data, especially when it concerns health and financial information.

To protect users from possible threats while using wearable technology, cybersecurity applications for wearables have been created, which create a secure authentication process while using your device.

Companies such as Lacework have released a software program called Polygraph to help monitor breaches on the cloud by monitoring daily activities and alerting the user when a breach has occurred right away.

By implementing better cybersecurity solutions, privacy and online breaches can be less of a concern for users who benefit from wearables.

The Wrap Up

Smart clothing can prove to be more resourceful than just wristwatches and wristbands since they’re worn closer to the body and are more practical for everyday use. By weaving electronics into the fabric, the data that’s collected shows a more accurate portrait of our fitness and health information, which can benefit active individuals and practitioners in the medical industry. As this technology is further implemented over the next few years, cybersecurity will become a focal point for manufacturers and consumers alike.

What else do you want to know?

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