The technology we dress

Technology is getting closer to man, literally. By now we always have it in our pockets, in the form of our smartphones, if not in our ears with Bluetooth headsets, or even on our smart clothes. Their diffusion is not yet widespread but increasingly it is possible to find devices that are integrated, intertwined and woven into T-shirts, trousers, hair bands or coats. Their uses are innumerable, as well as their usefulness, ranging from simple gadgets to technological systems that respond to specific needs and are able to change people’s lives. Let’s take a brief overview of some of the most promising and interesting smart dresses.

Doing Yoga, for good. This 2020 has seen us more and more often staying indoors, also for physical activity. Yoga has found new life in this and has spread a lot. However, it is not very easy, especially for beginners, to make sure you find the right position and make the right movements. The Nadi X Yoga Pants were born especially for this: thanks to a set of sensors it detects the position of the body and vibrates where it is necessary to correct the posture.

Socks for better walking. Along the lines of Yoga pants, Sensoria fitness socks send an app a report on your performance while running but above all they highlight how your feet land and where, with precision, we gain weight. This way you can improve your technique.

Bionic pants. A collaboration between the Universities of Bristol, Leeds, Nottingham, Southampton Strathclyde, Loughborough, and the West of England aims to develop smart trousers capable of interpreting and anticipating the intentions of the wearer and, functioning as an exoskeleton, accompany or even autonomously carry out the movements necessary to, for example, climb steps. A technology of this kind, which is still under development for now, will allow the elderly and disabled to regain independence and autonomy.

The swimsuit that warns you when to put on sunscreen. Neviano has created swimwear that integrates UV sensors into their design that can monitor the intensity of ultraviolet rays and which indicate, through an app, how much you have been exposed and whether it is necessary to reapply the sunscreen.

The anti-groping dress. Groping is a phenomenon, unfortunately, as widespread as it is belittled. The communication agency Ogilvy, in collaboration with Schweppes, created an evening dress covered with touch-sensitive sensors, after which three girls wore it to the disco. In the space of one evening they were touched, in an unwanted way, 157 times. The suit is also able to record the areas touched, showing a heat map of the areas on which hands have been placed most.