Lifestyle and fitness are two areas that are driving the growth in wearables technology. People are always looking to improve their health, and technology is helping with training.
 
Through its textile sensors, electronics and software platform, Sensoria has successfully made strides in this field, leveraging fast prototyping tools and 3D printing technologies with equipment both at its lab and in its supply chain. Its intial breakthrough product was its award-winning Sensoria Fitness Socks. The sock connects to a Bluetooth detachable anklet, which contains a variety of sensors, including an accelerometer, BT Smart communication and over-the-air system update to provide data such as steps, pace, speed, calories, altitude gain/loss,  distance and foot landing technique. Sensoria created the textile sensor infused smart socks , the mobile app and the web dashboard which makes it easy to compare impact forces across over 8,000 models of running shoes.
 
Now, the company is branching out with Sensoria Fitness App v2.0 and Heart Sentinel™, which is designed to protect athletes in case of a sudden cardiac arrest. It is estimated that in the US alone, approximately 2,000, runners and cyclists are struck by exercise-related sudden cardiac arrest, which could be deadly if it occurs when the athlete is training alone in a remote area.
 
Heart Sentinel monitors the signal coming from a connected heart rate monitoring (HRM) device, like Sensoria’s new smart HRM T-shirts and sports bras. The garments eliminate the need for chest straps and other cumbersome items. Each Sensoria garment is made with Emana yarn, a technically advanced and durable fabric that uses far infrared technology to improve climate control, comfort and reduce muscle fatigue.
 
The company has embarked on a Kickstarter campaign to fund and draw attention to its new products. Sensoria CEO Davide Vigano said that the company worked with leading cardiologists Nicola Gaibazzi and Claudio Reverberi at the University of Parma Hospital in Italy to develop the new Heart Sentinel algorithm.
 
“Sensoria’s new cardiologist designed, patent-pending algorithm will constantly monitor the user’s probability of cardiac irregularities during exercise, offering a real-time alert countdown to confirm that he or she is still conscious, or it alerts selected family or friends through text message, urging them to seek help,” said Dr. Gaibazzi.
 
“The Heart Sentinel™ algorithm has the ability to detect certain cardiac irregularities (such as ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation) often associated with exercise-induced cardiac arrest,” said Vigano, who co-founded the company along with CTO Maurizio Macagno. “If an irregularity is detected, Heart Sentinel, via the Sensoria app, presents the user with a short countdown to determine if he or she is still conscious, and then his selected contacts are alerted via text message to seek help. Heart Sentinel may also contribute to locate the person through GPS coordinates.”
 
“This development is especially important for joggers, long-distance runners and cyclists who often train in remote areas where issues such as exercise-associated cardiac arrest may go unnoticed for long periods of time,” he added.
 
The new app will also offer training plans for distance runners, as well as the ability to monitor heart rate variability and heart rate recovery. The company has developed an interactive virtual trainer to help train users. The user can listen to music and get real-time voice feedback from Mara, a virtual coach.
 
“Sensoria will offer a completely new set of actionable step by step training plans,” said Vigano. “Each one of these features will be very easy to use thanks to Mara, our enhanced, more powerful artificial intelligence real-time personal trainer.  Mara provides both audio and video feedback on metrics that are important to you based upon your specific workout and fitness goals.”
                                                                                         
“Additionally, Sensoria is launching new, stylish upper body garments for all fitness and cardio enthusiasts,” Vigano added. “The new Smart T-shirt and Smart Sports Bra offer some very cool updates. The T-Shirt will be available with colored options and in short sleeves, whereas it used to be available in only a black sleeveless option. The Sports Bra will be upgraded from low support to medium support and will also be available in different color options besides black.”
 
Vigano noted that Heart Sentinel will be available on the advanced beta version of the Sensoria Fitness v2.0 app for its crowdfunding campaign supporters in the fall, with no timeline set for releasing a final version to the public.
 
“Heart Sentinel has already been tested with multiple hospital simulators,” Vigano concluded. “We are now planning to collect real-life data thanks to our Kickstarter campaign, targeting healthy users during training, running, cycling or exercise.  We hope to leverage this ground-breaking technology to partner with hospitals, universities and academic researchers to continue to develop new and innovative ways to improve people’s lives.”
 
Meanwhile, the Sensoria Smart Socks, which utilize a conductive thread knitted into the sock, have been gaining attention from consumers.
 
“Our Smart Socks are very popular among the running community,” he said. “We’ve received recognition for our socks as a winner in the Women’s Health Fitness Awards, as an honoree in the CES Innovation Award, as an ISPO winner and as an Outside Gear of the Year, to name a few. We’ve also received positive feedback from sources at The New York Times, TIME and Men’s Fitness, and more.”