A company called Hexoskin is using clothing to produce a data source in people’s real life.

The company’s co-founders, Pierre-Alexandre Fournier (CEO) and Jean-Francois Roy (CTO), invented biometric shirt which main advantage is its design for an active lifestyle, and the ability to get certain critical information comfortably and reliably throughout the day and night.

When data collection is needed, a small device that fits into a pouch sewn in one side needs to be attached. The shirt itself is not capable to store any data — it’s merely a collection point — and is safe to wear, due to extremely low current level.

The product can monitor heart, respiratory and movement activity, all without any skin contacts.

Traditional clothing assembly techniques can’t be used for biometric clothing, leaving production to only a few companies, the fact that has a significant impact on the product price.

Hexoskin did research in collaboration with many universities, NASA, and the Canadian Space Agency. All the data collected in the Hexoskin cloud is geared toward academic research. User on its end, owns all the data and can opt not to share it with the academic research community.

[Via: Forbes]