Sensoria, a leader in smart footwear, garments and IoT solutions, was awarded the Best New Wearable Technology Device prize at the 2015 IDTechEx Printed Electronics USA show, for its textile sensor infused smart socks.

IDTechEx Printed Electronics USA 2015 is the largest printed electronics and sensor event in the world. The Printed Electronics Awards recognize company innovation, success and development.

Presentation of the award

The socks were selected as the winner of the award by an independent panel of prestigious judges that included Dr Mounir Zok, PhD, a Senior Sports Technologist with the US Olympic Committee, as well as Matthew Drinkwater, the Head of Fashion Innovation Agency at the London College of Fashion. Sandisk Corporation Senior Vice President, Henri Richard, presented Sensoria with the award on stage at the Santa Clara Convention Center.

“It is such an incredible honour to be chosen for this award and especially by such an esteemed group of industry leaders,” said Davide Vigano, CEO of Sensoria Inc. “We spent four years researching and developing our smart socks so they would be comfortable, practical and functional. The technology we created during that process has many potential applications in the sports, fitness, and medical world.”

Textile pressure sensors

Each smart sock is infused with three thin, soft textile pressure sensors. A magnetic Bluetooth smart electronic anklet that snaps onto each smart sock collects data and transmits it wirelessly to Sensoria’s mobile app and web dashboard to provide runners with real-time visual and audio feedback, as well as post-workout analysis. The sock and anklet work together to provide runners with valuable data—like foot landing, cadence and time on the ground—that they can use to improve their running form and performance.

“The smart socks can be combined with Sensoria’s upper body garments to work seamlessly together as a truly wearable system for runners,” continued Vigano.

“The smart sports bra and t-shirt feature integrated heart rate monitoring capability without the hassle of a chest strap. Our vision is for wearables to not feel extraneous but more like sports apparel, and no one would be the wiser that you are actually wearing an IoT device. The smart socks are an early manifestation of that goal. They are machine washable, transparent mini-computers collecting data that has never been easily available before.”

Applications

The applications for Sensoria’s technology extend beyond just athletes. Recently, Sensoria joined forces with Orthotics Holdings (OHI) to debut the first ever IoT orthotic medical device: The Smart Moore Balance Brace (MBB).

The Smart MBB is a foot and ankle support that is designed to help improve balance and stability for its wearers, and hence reduce the wearer’s risk of falling. Infused with the same proprietary sensors that Sensoria developed for its Smart Socks, the Smart MBB is said to allow a clinician to accurately detect the activity of their patients and improve care delivery.

Sensoria has made available a full SDK to partners that want to develop sports, fitness and medical related scenarios.

www.sensoriafitness.com