Tractica’s latest report is looking at the smart clothing market, forecasting that smart clothing shipments will grow from 140,000 units in 2013 to 10.2 million units by 2020. At the same time, body sensor shipments will decrease from 3 million units in 2013 to 1.2 million by 2017, before rising again to 3.1 million units in 2020.

“The ultimate wearable computer is a piece of smart clothing that one can wear as a garment or a body sensor that can track and measure specific vital signs,” says research director Aditya Kaul. “Both of these device categories are designed to seamlessly integrate with users’ daily lives.”

The research firm says this market is just beginning to take shape, both from an end-user and a value chain perspective. Today, sports enthusiasts are leading the adoption of smart clothing with sensor-infused shirts, shorts, sports bras, and socks that provide biometric data on muscle activity, breathing rate, and heart activity zones, all data that is not currently tracked by fitness bands or smart watches. Over the next several years, however, these devices will gain traction in the mass consumer market, as well.

As with other wearable gadgets, the smart clothing market too will be driven by the “quantified self” trend that includes measurement, tracking, and analysis of the body, in the process providing tools to help people live healthier lives.