Montreal based smart textile company OMsignal announced today that its flagship product, the OMbra—a biometric sports bra we first learned of in January this year when it was unveiled—is now available for purchase online and in select retail locations across the United States and Canada. The OMbra has launched in conjunction with a mobile app, OMrun, which is specially designed to work with the smart bra and optimize women’s workouts.
“OMbra came to fruition through years of research, development and experimentation with female runners of all levels,” said OM CEO Stephane Marceau in a press release announcing the product launch. “From the hundreds of women who tested the bra, we tried to enable a very simple and mindful approach to running that strikes a balance between the will to progress and achieve specific fitness goals, and the simple, healthy pleasures of running.”
The OMbra is embedded with patent pending sensor technologies that measure vital biometrics, namely heart rate and breathing measurements. Wearable tech has long been driven by fitness applications which leverage vital biometrics. Wristbands and smartwatches are the most common devices in this trend, though we are seeing a rise in biometric earbuds, and OMsignal itself has developed smart shirts used for extreme physical activities. The company’s smart bra, however, is the first instance of a connected fitness device that is gendered by design.
“Our focus was to create a beautiful sports bra to enhance a woman’s body, respond to the unique strains of running, and accurately detect the body’s core signals,” said OM’s head of electronic textiles Joanna Berzowska. “Boasting specially engineered fabrics and advanced sensory technology, OMbra truly is a product of science and engineering that simultaneously features innovative and inspired design.”
The OMbra is an example of how connectivity is spreading beyond specialty mobile devices as the amorphous Internet of Things continues to encapsulate more categories of items. Even our clothes are becoming connected in an effort to better know and improve ourselves.
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