MIT Has Invented Smart Clothes That Predict Your Posture

Wearable technology is often useful for improving daily productivity and even has applications in posture adjustment/physio rehab, but comfort can be an issue. Recent research from MIT CSAIL has led to the development of smart clothes which feel no different than comfy basics — except these garments track your body movements with “tactile electronics.”

Stretchable and breathable smart-wear is comprised of conventional material along with piezoresistive fibers that hug the body while detecting pressure. Further adjusted by machine learning, the sensors within the clothing ensure accurate and consistent reactions. Data is later put into “frames,” then converted into pose prediction. The system can collect non-invasive data to anticipate posture without an all-over body stimulating receptor. Constructed with affordable materials, this new definition of techwear could easily be adapted for mass production at low price points.

This technology could even be applied to other facets of daily life and scientific research. For example, athletes could track their performance and maximize efficiency based on posture. Even thinking further ahead, this new tech could be used on tactilely-blind robots for a sensation that is comparable to human skin, enabling them to perform more sophisticated tasks.

What if socks on your feat could measure your body's movements?

More on this impressive feet out of @MIT: https://t.co/26jSWXIGT8

Paper: https://t.co/g33ZPH1jwa pic.twitter.com/dRsQKzWqH3

— MIT CSAIL (@MIT_CSAIL) March 26, 2021

Elsewhere in the tech industry, Amazon is asking delivery drivers to consent to have their biometric data collected.