“Smart” Leggings; The Future in Fitness Technology

Technology has made a huge impact in the world of Fashion; smart phones, smart TV’s, smart watches, and now finally smart leggings. The “smart” technology age has changed the way of interaction between people.

These smart leggings allow tracking of muscle fatigue during motion activities. Roger Ribas Manero has developed “a wearable device that measures muscle fatigue during activities such as running” This is the first documented trial that has been tested outside of laboratory experiments.

There are only two ways that muscle fatigue could be measured and calculated. One way involved placing a fine wire into the muscle, while the other way is to use electrodes placed strategically outside of the skin. Both situations need to be very precisely placed and ran at a high cost.

These leggings are a “cheaper and more flexible alternative” to measure fatigue in leg muscles. The plan is to stitch a pair or regular leggings with electrodes and circuitry that collects data and analyses the “electrical stimulation”.

This was tried and tested by two runners who were asked to put on a pair of the smart leggings and jogged on rountes varying from asphalt track, athletic tracks, and sand tracks. The activity showed that leg muscles worked harder in the beginning, then soon after they start to wind down. Sand testing showed the quickest energy loss as athletic tracks show the slowest drop in energy.

These leggings are just a start of how smart technology can monitor the human body and calculate exactly muscles being used and how. With technology changing our everyday living, these wearable technology products can usher in a new wave of fashion and interaction.