ALUM OF ORACLE AND HEWLETT-PACKARD CREATION, SENSILK'S BIOMETRIC CLOTHING MAKES WEARABLES FEMALE-CENTRIC.
Imagine if Lululemon sports bra had an offspring with Fitbit fitness tracker, that’d be something, right? Introducing Sensilk sports bra. Sensilk is a Silicon Valley-based company that is testing its wearable technology, Flight Tech Sports Bra. Although there are already many wearable technologies in the market however, there are hardly any that are integrated into clothing, making the process of wearing and tracking progress easier.
Flight Bra looks and feels like any quality bra, providing adequate coverage and support with moisture wicking fabric for enhanced performance.
Fashion consultant Ashley Tyler is the designer for the company. She was also the designer and former director at the Ralph Lauren and Levi's. "The technology is already out there but it's not embedded into the garments," says Tyler.
Researchers have been trying to develop a smart bra that can catch breast cancer in its earlier stages, it makes sense if similar technology can be used for tracking and improving fitness. Previous attempts at these bras have produced clunky, unfashionable bras, which is why Flight Bra concentrates on fabric quality, comfort and style.
The journey was not easy. The engineers and designers for Flight Bra faced many hurdles such as making it one-size-fits-all thing, while making sure that the sensors are as close to the heart regardless of how intensely you work out. It means that if you are in SoulCycle class or just going out for a stroll the sensors will be as close to your heart as possible to get accurate and reliable biometric info.
You can retrieve the fitness information through Flight Bra's companion app, or other wearables that pair up with it. The company claims that if you don’t want to feel like a lab rat feeding information into a device then this bra is definitely for you.
Flight bra has a decidedly female centric approach to wearables. Tyler claims that when you think about the necessity or the gap it's filling in the market you would wonder why it has not already hit the market. It takes biometric information such as heart rate, respiration, burned calories, and then offers suggestive actions based on the data.
Donald Yang is a designer engineer at the Oracle and Hewlett-Packard alum. He is the brainchild behind the design of Flight Bra. His design is aimed at red-hot female sportswear market.
The bra’s design is revolutionary because the previous designs and gadgets of wearable technology felt like wearing a device. This one uses a wearable's usual approach; the feel, the size and the choice of material has been cosmetically tweaking for the ladies. Sensilk’s main operations in the biometric clothing are targeted towards men, Flight Bra is a rare manufacturing venture.
You can make technology one size fits all but you cannot make clothing like that. "Women have more hills and valleys than men." says Yang.
Flight Bra is available on preorder for a price of $140, with delivery expected within a month. The designers and engineers are already working on the second version that has adjustable straps, along with a biometric shirt for men.
To conclude, if you can put up with hospital like devices that make you feel like Frankenstein then you can go for other options. If not, then Flight Bra is for you. Its approach has been towards making the technology more wearable and natural.
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