Health & Medicine

Smart Shirt can Monitor Heart Rate (Video)

Kathleen Lees
First Posted: May 12, 2014 09:31 AM EDT

The Montreal-based company, OMisgnal, has created biometric shirts for men and women that could potentially help change the way many keep track of their heart rate at the gym.

The company notes that these breathable, odor-resistant materials prevent sweat and body odor from clinging to the body. Yet they also carry a new technology to track movement that's used to determine the number of breaths taken during a workout, the number of steps, calories burned and even the psychological stress level that the person was in while they were working out.

"Textiles are the hardware -- organic hardware. It's technology that helps you connect with yourself to improve yourself and your performance," OMsignal co-founder and CEO Stéphane Marceau said, via FOX Business. "You can see [from the biometric data] if it's a good day to push yourself at the gym...it's geared to performance, fitness, and self-mastery."

The secret behind the shirts is a special thread that actually picks up information stored in the shirt's own data recorder. This recorder can even be connected to Apple's IOS devices and transmitted to Bluetooth.

"One day, you'll go the store and buy socks, underwear, bra, etc. You won't even ask, it will be a connected device. It helps you live a fitter, happier, healthier life. This is just the first step," Marceau said, according to USA Today.

The shirts cost anywhere from $99 to $199 and may increase in price as they come out. The men's version will be available in the summer, while the women's won't be released until the fall.

Want to learn more about this product? Check out this video, courtesy of YouTube.

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