CES 2015: Hexoskin Debuts Line of Connected Biometric Shirts for Kids and Teens

MacRumors · Jan 5, 2015

Biometric shirt manufacturer Hexoskin today announced its new line of smart shirts for kids and teenagers at CES 2015, allowing coaches and parents to track physical metrics in real-time through an iOS app.

The Hexoskin Junior features built-in sensors inside of a lightweight, water-resistant shirt, with an optimized fit for regulation of moisture and heat. The sensors themselves can track a number of metrics including heart rate, step count, sleep duration, and calories burned, along with advanced statistics like heart rate recovery, acceleration, breathing volume, and sleep.

All of the metrics can be analyzed on Hexoskin's free mobile app for iOS, which can provide a look at aspects like a user's heartbeat in real-time, or a running session with GPS data to measure distance. The app and the Hexoskin shirt can also be used to measure an individual's VO2max level, which is the maximum volume of oxygen that can be used.

The Hexoskin Junior is available by itself for $149.99 or in a starter kit for $379.99 that contains a Bluetooth recording device and USB cable. The Hexoskin recording device is not required to track metrics with the Hexoskin shirt, but it does allow users to store 150 hours of data with low power consumption and is Apple Made for iPhone (MFi) certified. On its own, Hexoskin's Bluetooth recording device sells for $230.00.

Article Link: CES 2015: Hexoskin Debuts Line of Connected Biometric Shirts for Kids and Teens

H2SO4 · Jan 5, 2015

Cheaper than an iWatch but..

..better for monitoring the body?

It looks gimmicky but I love the idea of this.

fitshaced · Jan 5, 2015

MacRumors said:
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Biometric shirt manufacturer Hexoskin today announced its new line of smart shirts for kids and teenagers at CES 2015, allowing coaches and parents to track physical metrics in real-time through an iOS app.

Image
The Hexoskin Junior features built-in sensors inside of a lightweight, water-resistant shirt, with an optimized fit for regulation of moisture and heat. The sensors themselves can track a number of metrics including heart rate, step count, sleep duration, and calories burned, along with advanced statistics like heart rate recovery, acceleration, breathing volume, and sleep.

Image
All of the metrics can be analyzed on Hexoskin's free mobile app for iOS, which can provide a look at aspects like a user's heartbeat in real-time, or a running session with GPS data to measure distance. The app and the Hexoskin shirt can also be used to measure an individual's VO2max level, which is the maximum volume of oxygen that can be used.

The Hexoskin Junior is available by itself for $149.99 or in a starter kit for $379.99 that contains a Bluetooth recording device and USB cable. The Hexoskin recording device is not required to track metrics with the Hexoskin shirt, but it does allow users to store 150 hours of data with low power consumption and is Apple Made for iPhone (MFi) certified. On its own, Hexoskin's Bluetooth recording device sells for $230.00.

Article Link: CES 2015: Hexoskin Debuts Line of Connected Biometric Shirts for Kids and Teens

Do these come in XXXXXL? Nice idea but I was never the athletic type as a kid so I don't know how useful these would be.

I think something like this could be used for (if made for a much younger person) tracking location. So, a toddler playing out in the garden will constantly be tracked by their parents and can submit location by text if their location changes very quickly such as being snatched. i often thought that a built in camera hidden somehwere on the body that submits a picture every 5 seconds or so to an email account along with GPS co-ordinates would be a good child safety gadget.

But, that's away from the point.

H2SO4 · Jan 5, 2015

fitshaced said:
i often thought that a built in camera hidden somehwere on the body that submits a picture every 5 seconds or so to an email account along with GPS co-ordinates would be a good child safety gadget.

But, that's away from the point.

Actually thats a brilliant idea.

lolkthxbai · Jan 6, 2015

H2SO4 said:
Actually thats a brilliant idea.

Really? I don't have kids but how hard is it really to keep your child safe? 0.o

H2SO4 · Jan 6, 2015

lolkthxbai said:
Really? I don't have kids but how hard is it really to keep your child safe? 0.o

You said it right there. Before we get too far off topic though, its unlikely youll know where your kids are at all times, (eevn in your house they can be somewhere you dont want them to be doing something you dont want them to do). There are many times that your kids are only around the corner and because either;
a). They dont see the danger and assume its alright.
b). Just plain forget what they are told.
c). Are wifully disobedient.
.they will move away from the area you tell them to stay in.

Theyll get to an age where they really are street smart but there will always be a time when they think they are and you think they are but an incident proves otherwise.

a0me · Jan 6, 2015

lolkthxbai said:
Really? I don't have kids but how hard is it really to keep your child safe? 0.o

I think you answered your own question in the first 6 words.

fitshaced · Jan 6, 2015

H2SO4 said:
Actually thats a brilliant idea.

It would work wouldn't it?

lolkthxbai said:
Really? I don't have kids but how hard is it really to keep your child safe? 0.o

Perhaps we should ask the many parents who have had their child snatched from their garden?

2457282 · Jan 6, 2015

back on topic, it does not state that it will work with healthkit and that is a problem i think.

GenesisST · Jan 6, 2015

lolkthxbai said:
Really? I don't have kids but how hard is it really to keep your child safe? 0.o

I usually despise comments from non-parents that think they know it all. But here, I have to agree. No gadget can replace good parenting... or even adequate parenting.

lowercaseperson · Jan 6, 2015

My biggest issue with these products is they have no accountability. How accurate are they? They can claim whatever they want to, I mean they're not peer reviewed. People are going to invariably take these as medical grade monitors, and they are not - or at least we have no proof that they are. It's really hard to accurately monitor any biometric on a moving person.

I don't want to be that guy calling for "more regulation" and "government intervention" because I don't believe that actually fixes and things, but a little transparency would be nice.

lolkthxbai · Jan 6, 2015

a0me said:
I think you answered your own question in the first 6 words.

H2SO4 said:
You said it right there. Before we get too far off topic though, its unlikely youll know where your kids are at all times, (eevn in your house they can be somewhere you dont want them to be doing something you dont want them to do). There are many times that your kids are only around the corner and because either;
a). They dont see the danger and assume its alright.
b). Just plain forget what they are told.
c). Are wifully disobedient.
.they will move away from the area you tell them to stay in.

Theyll get to an age where they really are street smart but there will always be a time when they think they are and you think they are but an incident proves otherwise.

I always figured I'd use Family Sharing to track their location on Find my iPhone. I just thought a camera attached to their body was a little excessive. Unless maybe you lived in a city or country where it's commonplace for kidnappings to occur like OP mentioned. Like I said, I don't have kids so... *shrug*

----------

GenesisST said:
I usually despise comments from non-parents that think they know it all. But here, I have to agree. No gadget can replace good parenting... or even adequate parenting.

Thanks, that's what I assumed although I also understand not being able to supervise them 24/7. I just didn't think I had to attach a camera to my kid just in case they become kidnapped or hurt.

ArtOfWarfare · Jan 6, 2015

H2SO4 said:
Actually that’s a brilliant idea.

Every five seconds? That's way excessive.

Anyways, as a 22 year old who had overprotective parents and GTFO out their house ASAP because of it, I imagine I would have killed myself if such a product had existed. I hated my life enough as was that I thought about the possibility on a regular basis. I endured it because I knew it would come to an end and I would be happy some day. And I was right. Anyone who was in the same situation I was, I'm going to steal a line from the LGBT community (I have friends in it, but I myself am... for lack of a better word in my vocabulary, normal) and say "It gets better".

For parents who think this product is a good idea, your child wants to kill themselves. You should probably listen to your kid(s). Shut up about what you want and stop having preconceived notions about what they want and figure out what they actually want.

macs4nw · Jan 6, 2015

lolkthxbai said:
Really? I don't have kids but how hard is it really to keep your child safe? 0.o

Back in the day when women tended to be homemakers, and life was comparatively simple, it was manageable for most people.

But now that it takes two incomes for most families to survive, and proper supervision of children has become a lot harder, in addition to the fact that young minds are inundated daily with all kinds of information and ideas, both good and bad, combined with a child's innocence and natural curiosity, you'd be surprised.

tmerlin · Jan 6, 2015

Hi there,

Just popping in to say that accuracy is of course one of our top priorities.
There are more than 30 research projects using Hexoskin worldwide, including NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, etc.

A test run by the University of Waterloo concluded in almost identical values between data acquired in a clinical environment and data acquired wearing Hexoskin: http://www.hexoskin.com/pages/health-research

To make things clear we're not manufacturing Hexoskin as a medical device but rather for sports and personal monitoring. Hope this helps!

Thomas

lowercaseperson said:
My biggest issue with these products is they have no accountability. How accurate are they? They can claim whatever they want to, I mean they're not peer reviewed. People are going to invariably take these as medical grade monitors, and they are not - or at least we have no proof that they are. It's really hard to accurately monitor any biometric on a moving person.

I don't want to be that guy calling for "more regulation" and "government intervention" because I don't believe that actually fixes and things, but a little transparency would be nice.

a0me · Jan 6, 2015

GenesisST said:
I usually despise comments from non-parents that think they know it all. But here, I have to agree. No gadget can replace good parenting... or even adequate parenting.

No one has ever argued that it could/should replace parenting. You're free to return to caveman parenting if you believe that was the best to raise children, but some people believe that technological advances are not always bad.

Amazing Iceman · Jan 6, 2015

lolkthxbai said:
Really? I don't have kids but how hard is it really to keep your child safe? 0.o

They forgot to add the chain and lock attachment.

----------

a0me said:
No one has ever argued that it could/should replace parenting. You're free to return to caveman parenting if you believe that was the best to raise children, but some people believe that technological advances are not always bad.

I think Caveman were much better parents, just because they used to do something most parents don't do now:
"Spent quality time with their kids" and not just for 15 minutes or an hour a day. It was for several hours.

JAT · Jan 6, 2015

a0me said:
No one has ever argued that it could/should replace parenting. You're free to return to caveman parenting if you believe that was the best to raise children, but some people believe that technological advances are not always bad.

So, you are mocking parents that actually physically watch and take care of their children? I can't say any more words to you that won't get me banned.

Antares · Jan 6, 2015

fitshaced said:
I think something like this could be used for (if made for a much younger person) tracking location. So, a toddler playing out in the garden will constantly be tracked by their parents and can submit location by text if their location changes very quickly such as being snatched.

Brilliant. I love the idea. Couple this with the biometrics and you'll have the perfect safety/monitoring system that doesn't require you to be within eyesight.

lolkthxbai said:
Really? I don't have kids but how hard is it really to keep your child safe? 0.o

Very, apparently. The beauty of this idea is that you wouldn't need to have your child(ren) within eyesight all the time. You could let them out in the backyard to play while you do things around the house. Or, you can take them to a playground and not have to worry about watching them the entire time.

You can monitor or get notices about their vitals. So, you'll know if something has gone wrong or they get injured. You would have GPS tracking so you would know if they go someplace they shouldn't.

This is actually great. I mean, really, really great. One of my major issues with having children is the amount of time you have to spend watching and checking in on them. Something like this would free up so much of that time. You'll be free to do whatever you want and get notices if there is an emergency situation that actually requires your attention.

fitshaced · Jan 6, 2015

lolkthxbai said:
I always figured I'd use Family Sharing to track their location on Find my iPhone. I just thought a camera attached to their body was a little excessive. Unless maybe you lived in a city or country where it's commonplace for kidnappings to occur like OP mentioned. Like I said, I don't have kids so... *shrug*

----------

Thanks, that's what I assumed although I also understand not being able to supervise them 24/7. I just didn't think I had to attach a camera to my kid just in case they become kidnapped or hurt.

But surely you can accept that parts of the world have this problem?

The only issue I think could come from having a camera attached to a child is when out in public and it's taking pictures of its surroundings. People will have an issue with that and could be used as a tool by parent perverts. By I guess they already have ways for that. But, for the back garden, surely it can only help, especially if you have several kids.

And I have no kids either.

donniedarko · Jan 6, 2015

They have this for adults?

lowercaseperson · Jan 6, 2015

tmerlin said:
Hi there,

Just popping in to say that accuracy is of course one of our top priorities.
There are more than 30 research projects using Hexoskin worldwide, including NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, etc.

A test run by the University of Waterloo concluded in almost identical values between data acquired in a clinical environment and data acquired wearing Hexoskin....

Thomas

Thomas, thank you for the link. Very encouraging to see data has been published and with obviously good results - glad you were here to speak up!

a0me · Jan 6, 2015

JAT said:
So, you are mocking parents that actually physically watch and take care of their children? I can't say any more words to you that won't get me banned.

No, I'm saying that walls, doors, fences, school, vaccination, and more recently baby monitors and such, help parents raise their kids.
But there's nothing wrong with protecting your kids from all sorts of dangers, physically, all by yourself.

H2SO4 · Jan 6, 2015

GenesisST said:
I usually despise comments from non-parents that think they know it all. But here, I have to agree. No gadget can replace good parenting... or even adequate parenting.

Thats one of the most over used phrases in history. No one is suggesting it will, just that it will help.
I can count probably thousands of times I was somewhere I shouldnt be and what happened, I got away with whatever I was doing and wasnt found wherever I was. It wont be the same for an unfortunate few.

----------

ArtOfWarfare said:
Every five seconds? That's way excessive.

Anyways, as a 22 year old who had overprotective parents and GTFO out their house ASAP because of it, I imagine I would have killed myself if such a product had existed. I hated my life enough as was that I thought about the possibility on a regular basis. I endured it because I knew it would come to an end and I would be happy some day. And I was right. Anyone who was in the same situation I was, I'm going to steal a line from the LGBT community (I have friends in it, but I myself am... for lack of a better word in my vocabulary, normal) and say "It gets better".

For parents who think this product is a good idea, your child wants to kill themselves. You should probably listen to your kid(s). Shut up about what you want and stop having preconceived notions about what they want and figure out what they actually want.

Ill have to stop commenting as this thread has gone way off. But every five seconds doesnt mean Ill be checking them that often. Its nice to have a record of where they are if it all goes wrong. This is where we are headed in society like it or not, look how many employers track their employees IT eqpt and vehicles. They may not actively monitor it but the capability is there to a degree.

Accuracy bothered me as FMiP didnt seem too good at times but the dev seems to have chimed in regarding that.

----------

Amazing Iceman said:
They forgot to add the chain and lock attachment.

----------

I think Caveman were much better parents, just because they used to do something most parents don't do now:
"Spent quality time with their kids" and not just for 15 minutes or an hour a day. It was for several hours.

How the hell do you know?

Eweie · Jan 7, 2015

I don't have kids yet but I'd like one for myself lol. maybe i can fit into one anyway.

CES 2015: Hexoskin Debuts Line of Connected Biometric Shirts for Kids and Teens

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