At CES 2015, biometric shirt manufacturer Hexoskin debuted a line of shirts specifically for kids and teens. The shirts themselves are lightweight and water-resistant, crafted with built-in sensors to reveal insights pertaining to daily activities, training and even sleeping. One of the neatest things about the biometric gear for youth is that it can be monitored in real-time when used in tandem with an accompanying Hexoskin iOS app. In the app, sensors measure heart rate, heart rate recovery, calories burned, acceleration and breathing.
The Hexoskin Junior is sold on its own for $149.99 and can be used alongside the free-to-download mobile app. Alternatively, the biometric shirt is also available through a starter kit, complete with a Bluetooth recording device and a USB cable to store more data at a time.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Biometric Clothing for Kids
- Disruptive Innovation Opportunity: Develop biometric clothing with customizable features to meet the specific needs of children, such as tracking hydration levels or monitoring allergies.
- Real-time Monitoring
- Disruptive Innovation Opportunity: Enhance the capabilities of real-time monitoring technology in clothing to provide instant feedback and alerts for parents or coaches regarding the health and well-being of young individuals during physical activities.
- Youth Fitness Tracking
- Disruptive Innovation Opportunity: Create integrated platforms that combine biometric clothing, mobile apps, and gamification elements to encourage and motivate children and teenagers to engage in regular physical fitness activities.
Where This Applies
- Sportswear and Fitness
- Disruptive Innovation Opportunity: Collaborate with biometric clothing manufacturers to develop specialized sportswear for youth that seamlessly integrates health tracking sensors.
- Health and Wellness Technology
- Disruptive Innovation Opportunity: Explore partnerships between biometric clothing companies and health tech companies to create advanced solutions for monitoring and managing the health of children and teenagers.
- Education and Edtech
- Disruptive Innovation Opportunity: Integrate biometric clothing technology into educational programs to teach children about the importance of physical health and provide real-time feedback on their progress.
