![]() E-Textiles within sports are unlikely to be used in competition but could change the way athletes train for these major events. We all know the Swimsuit controversy in the 208 Beijing Olympics which saw 25 world records broken. According to bitLanders this is more than the Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 combined. (Bitlanders, 2018) Some even went as far as saying it was "Spanx on steroids". (Smithsonianmag, 2018) Although I don’t anticipate the governing bodies to allow these to be allowed into the world of sport we can assume that athletes and sports scientists will integrate this into training and recovery programmes. Professional athletes depending on their sport put countless hours of training and competing. They push their bodies to the absolute extreme and sometimes an injury could end their career. We look at the Simone Biles’s and the Usain Bolts of the world and think combined with e-textiles; We ask ourselves, are there any limits? The ability to possibly monitor an athlete fully already exists in labs but what if a specific microchip is placed in a training suit that can easily monitor the athlete and make it more streamline. The potential is also there to monitor athletes in a way that can manage injuries and rehabilitation throughout their recovery process. Many companies are beginning to invest more and more into the development of these smart textiles such as Google, Nike, Under Armour but Adidas have invested a great deal buying over “fitness tracking company Runtastic in a deal worth more than $200million” and it is projected that “smart textiles are expected to consume $134million of sensors, more than half of which will be pressure sensors” (NewElectronics, 2018). Where is the funding coming from? When we look at the evolution of sportswear over the years it has come a long way, but when we are looking at smart textiles we look far beyond your running shoes, latex suits and current heart monitors being used. Thank god for investors like Emanuele Angelidis, CEO of Breed Reply who invests in technology start-ups and has said it is becoming a dynamic market. However, without the investment of Angelidis your other options are limited unless you are a formed brand such as Adidas. (NewElectronics, 2018). While I see a huge potential for this market to flourish I do think it will be a couple of years before these products become available to the mass market if they even do. Author: Killian Morris Refrences Pic 1: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/241013017538618997/ Pic 2: http://www.nbcolympics.com/news/who-simone-biles Pic3:http://www.newelectronics.co.uk/electronics-technology/while-smart-textiles-for-wearables-remains-in-its-infancy-its-potential-is-huge/119045/ @jimmor12, F. (2018). Spanx on Steroids: How Speedo Created the New Record-Breaking Swimsuit. [online] Smithsonian. Available at: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/spanx-on-steroids-how-speedo-created-the-new-record-breaking-swimsuit-9662/ [Accessed 4 Mar. 2018]. bitLanders.(2018).BeijingOlympics2008.[online]Available at: http://www.bitlanders.com/blogs/beijing-olympics-2008/4007915 [Accessed 1 Mar. 2018]. Newelectronics.co.uk. (2018). While smart textiles for wearables remains in its infancy, its potential is huge. [online] Available at: http://www.newelectronics.co.uk/electronics-technology/while-smart-textiles-for-wearables-remains-in-its-infancy-its-potential-is-huge/119045/ [Accessed 6 Mar. 2018].
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