Biometric e-skin from Xenoma may have a future in health care and gaming
TOKYO -- From gauging golf swings to detecting Parkinson's disease, a biometric shirt resembling a Spider-man outfit could find a place in the future of fashion.
The shirt from Tokyo-based startup Xenoma, a spinoff from the University of Tokyo, features a clothlike sensor-equipped circuit laced through the garment that monitors body movements then sends information to a smartphone.
Comfortable to wear, the shirt is also machine-washable and highly durable.
Xenoma worked with German luxury fashion maker Hugo Boss to develop "smart" golf clothing ahead of this year's CES, an annual consumer electronics fair held in Las Vegas, which wrapped up on Jan. 12. The new sportswear provides wearers with information on their golf swing via smartphone or PC.
The startup is collaborating with other partners and exploring new applications to cash in on the growing market for wearable devices, including in preventive care and as an input controller for gaming.
Both the whole-body and upper-body varieties have Spider-Man-like lines traversing the torso and arms, which do not constrict movement. Made largely of polyester, e-shirt feels like a normal shirt owing to the soft electronic circuit.
Sensors covering the chest, shoulders, elbows, armpits and 10 other parts of the body detect movement from the forces applied.
As the shirt expands and contracts, the sensors transmit signals to a nearby smartphone or PC via a small Bluetooth device on the chest. The device is also equipped with acceleration and gyroscope sensors, which can calculate jumps, a big plus for online gaming and virtual reality applications.
IoT wearable
Xenoma is not alone in using "internet of things," or IoT, technology in clothes, but other companies employ electrically conductive fiber for sensors.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Tech-Science/Tech/Spider-man-shirt-from-Japanese-startup-works-wonders
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