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June 6, 2012 | New movement-monitoring tank `could spell end of yoga instructors` |
London: A futuristic new sports garment that is in development could do away with yoga and pilates
instructors forever. Aptly named Move, the tight fitting T-shirt looks like any
other supportive sportswear top but has tiny sensors integrated into the fabric
that detects the wearer’s movements. Other components built into the top then
respond with pulses to help guide the subject in correcting their alignment after
which a record of the adjustment is sent to a mobile app. Designed by a team of
innovators in Seattle , WA with the help of a Pilates instructor, Move aims to
protect anyone practising yoga, Pilates or other sports including golf and baseball,
from permanent or chronic injury. Hip-hop, ballet and contemporary dancers also
are listed among those who could benefit from the precision-tracking technology.
As a person transitions from one posture to another or even from a swing to a
follow-through, minute inbuilt stretch and bend sensors located in the front,
back and sides of the top read the body’s position and muscle movement. Whether
the movement is precise, as in a yoga pose, or more expressive and emphatic, as
in a hip-hop step, haptic feedback components sewn into the hips and shoulders
send small electronic pulses that tap the skin lightly signalling a need for adjustment
in position. The data is then collected by the “etextiles” and sent to a mobile
app that logs the progress of your performance over time so you can see how you’ve
improved and what areas might need special attention. Such innovation is familiar
territory for Electricfoxy, the design team behind the ultra tech savvy invention.
For this latest venture, Electricfoxy teamed up with Pilates expert Heidi Byrnes
who through a series of demonstrations traced the areas of the body that would
need to be tracked in order for Move to understand alignment. In a bid to stay
faithful to the concept of graceful, accurate movement, breathable, flexible textiles
and soft contouring were used in the design that also features see-through mesh
panels running through the front sides and back. As one might expect there are
still plenty of challenges for an item of such sophisticated function and questions
have been raised pertaining to its potential for mass production. As anyone who
does sport will no doubt already be wondering, how does one wash a garment with
sensors inside? And how affordable can such a design really every be? “Move is
an early concept and prototype. We will continue to explore, refine and evolve
this concept as it’s just in its infancy,” the Daily Mail quoted Electicfoxy as
explaining on the site.
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