EXAGGERATION! But not for long. Wired magazine reports that Ralph Lauren is trialling a new biometric tracking shirt on a select few ball boys at the forthcoming US Open.
The article goes on to tell us that:
“The US Open will mark the debut of the Polo Tech “smartshirt,” a snug black nylon compression shirt that will be used by some of the tournament’s feeders. While it won’t be worn by any of the players during matches, NCAA singles champion Marcos Giron will be wearing it during his practice sessions for the U.S. Open.
Although the branding is unmistakably Ralph Lauren—there’s a giant yellow Polo logo on the front–the tech within each shirt was developed by OMsignal. The shirt is a two-piece affair: Conductive threads woven into the shirt, and a small snap-on module that weighs less than 1.5 ounces and relays information to a Bluetooth-connected iPhone or iPad.”
The bit where Ralph Lauren turns you into a part-man-part-machine-all-style fashion icon is explained in more depth:
“The “smart” part of the shirt is a stretchy band, under the pectorials, that contains conductive threads that contact the skin. A module Ralph Lauren calls the “Black Box” or “Tech Box” snaps into the shirt around the left rib cage; it receives heart-rate and breathing data from those threads via metal snaps built into the shirt.
Users will need to recharge the box via USB after approximately 30 hours of workout time. In addition to a Bluetooth module, an accelerometer and gyrometer help track the number of steps taken and calories burned. The shirt can into the wash, but you’ll need to detach the module first”
You can read the rest of the article here: www.wired.com/
