There’s no denying that wearable health technology are making some heads turn in this day and age, and for a good reason too. These devices are not only aimed to make us look like straight out of a sci-fi movie but they are able to transform medical care in ways unimaginable. Some of these health gadgets are used for exercise and fitness, but there are also gadgets that can do more than just measure your heart rate after a 10KM run. From gadgets that measures brainwaves to the new tactical watches to look out for to clothes with sensors, these health gadgets are paving the way for the future of health and fitness.
AIQ Smart Clothing
AiQ has been known to develop smart textiles, as they aptly call it, for a range of their apparel. This includes a vital sign monitoring system in their t-shrit. Their BioMan shirt has smart sleeves that measure the user’s heart rate, skin temperature, and respiration rate. These garments can also be customized to show off vital stats as well. Will we be seeing some new smart exercise shoes from AiQ in the future? We hope so.
The Metria Wearable Sensor
The Metria Wearable Sensor is a tool that’s geared towards prevention. Think of it this way. The user wears the sensor and is attached using a skin-friendly adhesive. The sensor then collects the data, like number of hours slept and breaths per minute to the user’s smartphone or other device. According to its creator Avery Dennison, the Metria Wearable Sensor is already making heads turn from people in the health and wellness industry, sports and fitness industry, and even those involved in cardiac monitoring.
Danfoss Polymer A/S
Danfoss Polymer A/S is working its way towards a electroactive polymer technology called PolyPower. This is a device that’s designed to measure displacement on or close to the human body, like breathing, swelling, posture, etc.. The sensors are made of PolyPower, the company’s DEAP or Dielectric Electroactive Polyment – and combined with electrical connections. The principle of the polymer is based on wearability and toughness so it can be worn on different garments and clothing. This is a very impressive technology for those in the sporting industry as well as the medical industry.
Moticon
Moticon is the first ever fully integrated and wireless sensor insole that’s going to fit any kind of shoes – from exercise shoes to Crossfit shoes. The insole is used to measure the motion and distribution parameters of the athlete or patients. This is currently being used in patient monitoring, rehabilitation measures, and for training analysis in sports. The sensor insole, equipped with a firmware that communicates via PC software through a USB radio stick, is easy to use and doesn’t require a lot of special training. Moticon was awarded the International Innovation Award for Product of the Year in 2010 at the ISPO Sporting Goods Trade Fair. Moticon is commercially available but is yet to be distributed in the USA.
There are still a handful of health gadgets being developed for both athletes and patients, so this list is barely the top of the huge iceberg.
