Biometric Smartware

The $199 smart shirt that can monitor your workout - and even tell you how stressed you are at the office

·         Shirt designed to be worn all day, and has sensors sewn into fabric

·         Uses a special app to tell wearer how alert and focused they are as well as monitoring vital signs

By MARK PRIGG

PUBLISHED: 18:07 EST, 9 May 2014 | UPDATED: 04:19 EST, 10 May 2014

It could be the smartest shirt on the planet.

Packed with sensors, the new Omsignal shirt has health sensors sewn into its fabric to constantly monitor the wearer.

It can track heart rate, breathing rate, breathing volume, movement (including steps and cadence), movement intensity, heart rate variability and calories burned.

+5

The smart shirts are available in a range of colours and style, and the firm is launching a womans range later this year. Sensors are sewn into the fabric.

HOW IT WORKS

The shirt can track biometric data and vital signs including heart rate, breathing rate, breathing volume, movement (including steps and cadence), movement intensity, heart rate variability and calories burned.

The sensors are knitted close to the heart to capture anelectrocardiogram (ECG) reading, which deliver heart rate (BPM) and heart rate variability (HRV).

Additional sensors on the chest measure respiration rate and balance as well as track activity levels through an accelerometer.

Information is immediately relayed from the shirt to a 'black box' controller (pictured).

The little black box is clipped onto the shirt and ensures that all data is immediately available in the OMsignal iOS app.

Data is stored on a small 'black box' and sent to an app so the user can instantly see their performance.

'We've been wearing clothing all our lives,' said Stephane Marceau, the CEO and co-founder of OMsignal.

'It's the most natural and therefore the ultimate 'wearable' medium. 

'Clothing has always been about protection and fashion, but it will now also help motivate us to better ourselves every day. 

'You would never drive a car without a speedometer, RPM or a fuel gauge, right? Well, with OM, you now get a dashboard to better steer your life, to increase your self-mastery, to push your fitness performance, and live a healthier lifestyle.'

The firm says the shirt is not just for workouts - and can even track your day at the office.

'The OMsignal shirts will come in four different male styles including an under-shirt, sleeveless shirt, casual T-shirt and long-sleeved shirt, designed to be worn by itself at the gym or under everyday clothing.'

+5

The app can track everything from a user's breathing rate to their 'zen' to see how stressed they are in the office

The firm also says it will help serious athletes train more effectively.

'Exercise physiology research has defined human performance through intricate lab studies, but the technologies researchers use were never available for everyday and the aspiring athlete,' said Dr. Jesse Slade Shantz, the firm's Chief Medical Officer.

'You could never bring hospital or lab-type equipment with you on the court or track.

'OMsignal now makes it easy to track biometrics in real time, in real life and during sports activity.

'At OMsignal we've focused on giving consumers quality insights on performance, taking the research a step further to guide users to their peak performance.'

+5

The firm also makes a special sleeve to hold a phone so users can easily use the app while working out

The first collection of shirts has four smart shirts for men, and works with a special app.

'The OM app translates the users' unique bio-signal into personal actionable insights,' the firm says.

'The OMsignal shirts can tell you what's up with your body so you can improve how you manage your health, gain actionable insights and meet your fitness goals.

In the app, a reading called OM Fuel lets you know how much energy you have in reserve before you run out, while OM RPM shows your level of focus and physical stress in real time.