Clothing gives sportsmen a kick up the pants and power to your cell phone

As if being bawled at by the coach during training were not bad enough, sports stars may also end up being pushed around by their own clothing.

Haptic sports garments, which use tactile signals to prompt the wearer to optimise their technique or to use specific muscle groups, are now being tested on rowers.

Eventually, sensors in the garments will measure the speed at which the rower moves and how they coordinate their leg and body movements. If the rower deviates from the optimum speed or rhythm, pads worn at the ankle and waist start vibrating at the correct stroke intervals to help the rower recapture the winning action.

"The feedback can be understood by the person much more quickly than if they are getting shouts from a human trainer," says Hendrik-Jan van Veen of the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research in Soesterberg, who is leading the team developing the clothing. So far, the clothes have been tested on athletes using rowing machines in the laboratory.

Full Story: http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg18825196.000

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Clothes May Power Cell Phones

Solar firm Konarka teams with textile outfit Textronics to make prototype clothing, accessories that could power mobile devices.
September 28, 2005

The term “power suit” could soon take on a more literal meaning. Solar company Konarka said Wednesday it will pair with textile maker Textronics to develop clothing and accessories that generate energy.

The prototype project targets designer-label manufacturers, and will show them how to incorporate new benefits for consumers into everyday clothing and accessories, said Daniel Patrick McGahn, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Konarka.

Full Story: http://www.redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=13775&hed=Clothes%20May%20Power%20Cell%20Phones