Through my research of sensors that help track the body, I found a really amazing apparel brand called OMSignal, a line of biometric smart wear, created by Frederic Chanay and Stephane Marceau, based in Montreal. They currently sell OmSignal Shirts on their website, but also have a separate site for OmSignal bras and women’s shirts, which are coming “very soon”.
Nevertheless, the company has created apparel that tracks heart rate, breathing rate, breathing depth, breathing balance, target heart rate zones, activity intensity, steps walked, calories burned, how hard you push yourself during your workout, heart rate variability, and heart rate and breathing recovery (according to http://omsignal.com/pages/faq) all in real-time. It also allows the user to view “post workout fitness reports, biometric training workout videos, and more” according to the website. The men’s shirts currently retail for $190, but you also need the OM Smart Box, which “records and streams continuous, real-time biometric data wirelessly from your shirt to your phone” (http://omsignal.com/collections/men/products/tracking-module-oms-bundle) for $90. It plugs into the shirt (it’s quite small), and streams the data to your mobile device. You also need the OM Smart App in order for all of the components to sync together, and to receive the data.
According to an OMSignalTV Youtube video, the users who beta tested and also modeled the garment said it is really comfortable, you cannot even tell that it is there, and that is helpful in the gym and also at work, where it can be very stressful. Of course these are people who were paid to model the shirt, so I am taking what they are saying with a grain of salt. I would say that, as a downside for men, they have to be wearing a shirt for the sensor to sense the body, as this was discussed in a Youtube review I found. Also, if you really like getting data fast, and seeing what is happening in your body, this could be a downside, as a user might get too conscious, and start monitoring everything they do, every second of every day. However, this is supposed to let someone reduce their heart rate, and not increase it, so I doubt someone would get addicted, but it is a possible issue and I could see myself wanting to know too much too often.
However, I would say that I would definitely try this shirt. If I had an OMSignal shirt, I would definitely be more conscious of my heart rate, and practice more breathing techniques as I know I need to reduce my resting heart rate anyway (According to a doctor I talked to during my L’Office Français de l’Immigration et de l’Intégration visit who wondered if I was a runner because my heart rate was so high…I am not a runner), and thus, it would be really helpful to then see how my heart rate would improve, real-time, on the actual app.
Also, for exercise, if you run outside, there is a GPS that tracks where you are, and how far you go. I think this is super helpful; it saves data, you can go back on the same route, or just see how you were working out in a session and improve from the data that the app provides.
Overall, the OMSignal garments are very accessible because you can order them online and they ship internationally, they are not immensely expensive, and they appear to be easy to wear and the device is discreet.
The tagline of the brand is “You. Empowered.” and I think that is perfect for what OMSignal is selling.
Video Resources:
- OMSignal Bra
- OMSignal Shirt
- Science behind it
