Luxury brand Ralph Lauren has entered into the wearable tech space with multi-functional biometric smart shirts and shorts.
Ralph Lauren, the renowned US-based luxury clothing brand, is entering the wearable space by integrating sensors in shirts and shorts to track wearer's heart rate, breathing, activity and more. The new biometric shirt debuted at the US Open Tennis Championships. It combines technology from Canadian-based OMsignal with fashion by Ralph Lauren. The sleek Polo Tech shirt is the first wearable to be launched at a global sporting event.
The Ralph Lauren Polo Tech shirt will be tested by No. 1 intercollegiate singles player, Marcus Giron, at the tournament to help capture physiological data such as heartbeat, respiration, stress level, burnt calories and energy output. Giron already wore the shirt during practices for his first run at the tournament.
Bio-sensing silver fibers are woven into the nylon compression shirt. A thick band that holds a Bluetooth transmitter, a gyroscope, and an accelerometer right below the chest help the shirt track activities, Fox News reports. It tracks physiological data that is sent to a small black box called Core, which acts as the brain of the system, and then displayed on a Bluetooth-connected smartphone via app. The shirt features 4-way stretch for comfortable movements and absorbs sweat to keep the wearer cool and dry.
"Ralph Lauren continues to be at the cutting edge of fashion and culture," David Lauren, Ralph Lauren's son and the company's senior vice president of adverting, marketing and public relations, said in a press release, last week. "Our goal is to create and reflect the ultimate lifestyle, and we believe that a healthy and active life is an essential part of that. Ralph Lauren is excited to help lead the industry in wearable technology in this ever-evolving, modern world."
Lauren hopes to bring its Polo Tech shirt to the general public of all ages in order to improve general wellness and quality of life. The shirt may integrate high-tech but does not compromise on style. It offers a sleek look in black with the company's signature yellow Polo Player logo.
"This will no longer just be used for a sporting idea," Lauren told CBS News. "Someone walking down the street might want to know how their heart is doing, how they're breathing. Someone in a boardroom might be very curious about their stress levels, and someone might want to monitor their child at home in a crib and no longer just look at them visually."
The smart shirts and shorts are available for pre-orders from Athos official store. The Polo Tech shirt and short cost $99 each and the Core device costs $199. Shipping will only start this fall.
