The Concept of Wearable Technology
Photo: Foxtel
I always find it interesting when someone executes a concept that was once farfetched and this idea is no different. I recently came across a company called Wearable Experiments (We:Ex) who was nominated for best startup at Fashion 2.0 NYC and was intrigued by their concept and vision. According to the company’s website, they are a socially driven wearable company that has a mission to bring fashion and technology together. So far they have two items on the market, the Alert Shirt and the Navigate Jacket with a very specific target audience. The Alert Shirt is the ideal jersey for any sports fan to own.
The wearable technology allows fans to have the same sensations the player feels at the moment of contact during a game. Sensory data transferred through Bluetooth connection and the Foxtel app gives real time reactions whether the athlete is being tackled or has nervous energy. As a consumer, you feel as if you yourself are in the game. The Navigate Jacket is an urban wayfinding jacket that gives you handsfree navigation throughout the city. There is built in LED lighting and vibrations in the sleeves and a built in system in the jacket that alerts you as to what direction to take based on haptic feedback. For those of you who don’t know, haptic feedback is a technology that takes advantage of the sense of touch by applying forces, vibrations or motions to the user. We are most familiar with it in video/ arcade games, telerobotics, medicine or virtual placement but rarely fashion. Whether walking, taking a cab or riding a bike this groundbreaking technology places a GPS in your jacket. The fashion conscious consumer between the ages 29 to 35 will find this jacket to be a comfortable, wearable and attractive piece of art.
Prior to starting this company with Ben Moir, Billie Whitehouse was the designer for Fundawear for Durex. In 2013, the world’s first wearable prototype technology was created to connect people anywhere in the world via their smartphone. They tapped into the sense of personal touch where couples can tease and tickle each other through sensors lined in elegant garments made out of bamboo fabric. Fundawear’s goal is to connect couples while they are apart. The campaign recently received a Silver Lion at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for their unique creation. The end results for all these different products are to help enhance the quality of life. The founders are aware that we are in a digital age and promotes living what is real by heightening your senses.
