This new high-tech clothing material is specifically targeting dedicated professions such as firefighters. Circuitex's next move is to incorporate temperature sensors in the clothes which could help prevent firefighters from overheating. Signals will be collected to monitor temperatures outside the fire suit along with heat levels close to the skin, letting firefighters know when it is time to leave.
While there are many benefits to be able to measure your own health, dangers come when people decide they can be doctors and self-diagnose. With easy internet access, it would be easy for someone to wrongly determine they have a condition. Circuitex has said that they are still a few years from putting this product on the market.
This country is sick and overweight. I think that any kind of technology that can help people focus on their health should be welcome. Often, people focus on workout 'trends' and sticking to workouts does not last. However, with this technology, it is less about focusing on the workout, and more about collection of data on your health. Anything that can encourage people to zero in on living a healthy life should be welcome.
Sources: [1] http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/07/tech/smart-clothes-track-your-health/index.html
[2] http://www.noblebiomaterials.com/page.asp?itemid=138
I love the idea of the product. I believe this product can greatly benefit consumers by informing them on their overall health and help them live a healthier life.But there is the slim possibility that this new product can misread the heart rate and muscle activity and basically give the consumer false information. Say this event does occur and then the consumer goes to the doctors thinking their health is in tip top shape, but is totally caught off guard when the doctor tells him/her of their unknown heart problems. This new intelligent clothing can also pose threats to fitness apparel companies such as Under Armour and Nike. I understand that those two companies are the most well known in the market and produce cool, comfortable, and breathable clothing; but I imagine that professional sports leagues such as the NFL and NBA can greatly benefit from this new product. I believe coaches and players would insist on wearing this new brand to track the overall health and activity of the team as a whole and individual players.
ReplyDeleteWhile this appears to be a revolutionary idea, it seems expensive to implement. I agree that this would be beneficial because it measures heart rate and muscle activity, which can act as a heart monitor and potentially save someone's life. Even though the sensors are silver, which does not cause cancer, I still worry that wearing technology could cause illnesses we don't even know about. The temperature sensors sound dangerous, if they malfunction. I would like to see how this product turns out.
ReplyDeleteI find this to be an interesting piece of IT because this is a progressive step to technology we already have. Some sneakers are already have information collecting micro chips and we have had that technology for a few years. I agree how you said that more information if the key to a healthy lifestyle. We can only benefit from having more information on our bodies. This is a trend in our technological culture today, with multiple health observing apps and watches popping up everyday. While the one danger you mentioned is a true concern, I feel that it is so minuscule that this should not slow own the production of this IT. This was a good article to write about because it is a piece of innovative IT that can potentially affect a large amount of population. As advanced as this technology is, it is relatively cheap because it will need to be produced for the mass population. I am excited to see this new technology when Circuitex finally unveils it.
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