Technology is now making its way into the fabrics we wear, being used for a variety of different tasks.
Wearable X describes itself as a ‘fashion tech company that brings together design and technology to create a better quality of life’. One of their products is NADI X, which is a line of yoga leggings that correct wearers' posture when they are doing yoga moves, by producing vibrations from the embedded sensors. Sensors are embedded around the hips, knees, and ankles and a charger ‘Pulse’ is attached behind the left knee to connect the leggings to your phone. You can adjust the strength of vibrations and then select a workout from their app and start your guided yoga session. Once you have removed the ‘Pulse’ they are machine washable.
They are very expensive at $279 for a pair but they do have good reviews, although they are suspiciously all posted on the same day, so I am not sure how much I trust them. I can't imagine that they can be helpful enough to warrant the cost, it seems a bit of a fad to me, but I don’t feel I can have a strong opinion as I am not a yoga fan. Regardless it is certainly cool and innovative technology, I would love to see how it could be utilised in other sports, for example, I think this would be really beneficial when lifting weights to help ensure the correct posture to avoid injury or strain.
Something I am very interested in is Fuseproject’s Seismic Powered Suit. The product was designed to aid those with reduced mobility. Fuseproject’s website talks about as we design for an aging society, we are focusing on aids within the home but haven’t focused on helping them out with the home. The suit reacts to the body’s movements and adds muscle power to help improve the wearers' strength.
The hardware in the suit is specially designed to have a low profile and sits in origami-style expandable pockets that ensure full 3-dimensional movement and make sure that they are not uncomfortable for the wearer, the hardware can also all be removed to allow Seismic to be washed. The suit itself is designed to provide comfort whilst also ensuring it's tight enough to provide assisted movement and also provides lumbar support. They also make the point to not design it in a ‘clinical’ way, trying to not give the suit a healthcare aesthetic, which I believe is so important for the success of this product as it doesn’t then act as a constant reminder to the wearer of their physical struggles.
Seismic would allow people to still live an independent life, in a way that may not have been possible before and I truly believe that the benefits, both physical and mental, would be unmatched. It is a hidden aid, which is such an important element of mobility aids for many people. So many people don’t want to be seen to need help and being able to wear Seismic under your normal clothes would allow anonymity for the user. I started this research project with quite a negative outlook towards technology’s impact on fashion but this is one of the most exciting pieces of design I can think of having seen, and I can see it being able to help so many people.
Wearable X website: https://www.wearablex.com/collections/nadi-x-smart-yoga-pants?gclid=Cj0KCQiAtbqdBhDvARIsAGYnXBNb7atHU3hdRBETmNvsGA1GrZlwjMkh1FYcgEeVwkmIhs-AEuAE5OAaAjs9EALw_wcB&ref=techpacker.com
Fuseprojects: https://fuseproject.com/work/seismic-powered-suit/
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