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Clothing, Wearable Technology

Ralph Lauren Announces Polo Tech Smart Clothing (UPDATED)

Ralph Lauren Polo Tech Smart Shirt

UPDATE: The official website is now live, including a 2015 release window and a sign-up to be notified of updates.

Today Ralph Lauren has announced the launch of a new brand, Polo Tech.  Polo Tech represents the fashion mainstay’s first foray into smart clothing. The black T-shirt has silver threads woven into the fabric. These threads track and then transmit biometric data to a small black box on the shirt that also captures movement information. The black box then stores the data until the user syncs it to the accompanying app. If all of this sounds awfully familiar, it is because this is basically a rebranding of OMsignal’s shirt, which we covered earlier this year. The company has partnered with OMsignal to deliver the technology portion of the clothing. Ralph Lauren promises to expand the Polo Tech line over the coming months, suggesting that a dress shirt is also in the works. Hopefully it will not be as skin tight. While there has been no pricing announced yet, you can see the shirt in action starting this week.  

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Under Armour Mach 39 Suit
Sports

Surrounded By Controversy, Under Armour’s Contract With U.S. Speedskating Renewed

Under Armour Speedskating 2014

 

According to ESPN, last week U.S. Speedskating renewed their contract with Under Armour.  The new contract will see the apparel company providing uniforms through at least 2022.  The announcement is significant following the United State’s disappointing results during the 2014 Winter Games, not medaling in the sport for the first time since 1984.  Under Armour had designed high tech Mach 39 suits for the 2014 team in partnership with Lockheed Martin.  Computer designed and exhaustedly tested in wind tunnels, they were billed as “the world’s fastest.”  The struggling United States clearly placed blame on the suit when halfway through the Games they switched to an older uniform style.  

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