Wearables Are The New Fad In Sports

    • Team NIE
    • Publish Date: Aug 23 2016 12:13PM
    • |
    • Updated Date: Aug 23 2016 12:18PM
Wearables Are The New Fad In Sports

Team Great Britain celebrated the closing ceremony of Rio Olympics by shoeing off! The athletes lit up the night wearing illuminated sneakers as they celebrated the end of the Olympic Games.

The footwear by uniform supplier Simon Jersey made headlines when the athletes flashed red, white and blue lights paying a nod to the GB flag 

The shoes were custom made for the occasion, incorporating built-in lights in the sole, including a USB charger.

In a statement, a representative for Simon Jersey said; “Rio is known for its love of parties and carnivals and wearable tech is becoming more popular, so we thought the most fun and patriotic way to use this in the outfits is through lights. The athletes all loved the shoes and are looking forward to wearing them. We just hope they remember to charge them before the ceremony.”

These shoes are not just making a fashion statement, Hi Tech Wearables are making life easy for participants as well. Here is a list. 


Hi-Tech Suits To Save Seconds

When seconds count, the right clothing matters. For the Rio Olympics, Nike used 3-D printing technology to develop small silicone protrusions for redirecting air flow around the runner. Body scanners helped Adidas design suits to keep swimmers in ideal form. Swiss cycling specialist Assos turned to wind tunnels to craft custom, form-fitting suits for the U.S. cycling team. Innovations in suits and shoes have sped up, thanks to advancements in how clothing is designed and tested _ all as manufacturers get creative in working around rules enacted to prevent the apparel equivalent of doping. ``We make sure we stay inside those rules, but we will get to the very edge of them if we can,' said Adam Clement, senior creative director for team sports at Under Armour. ``Our goal is to innovate in a way that ultimately makes the Olympic rules change. We'll adjust, but we'll feel proud of that accomplishment.'


THE BOUNDARIES
 
 
Swimming has among the toughest guidelines after Speedo's suits propelled Michael Phelps and other swimmers to medals and records at the 2008 Olympics. Their full-body suits _ which are no longer permitted _ were developed with NASA to boost buoyancy and reduce drag. Clothing makers can still innovate; they just have to be creative. Michelle Miller, Nike's apparel concept director, said figuring out how ``is one of my favorite parts of the design process.' Adidas' Adizero XVI swimsuits for Britain's Chris Walker-Hebborn and other swimmers have elastic-like bands meant to keep bodies in streamlined positions. That minimizes drag and propels swimmers in the pool. Because the rules allow Adidas to place the bands only over seams where pieces of fabric meet, Adidas moved the seams over to where it wanted the bands to be. Now that it had bands, Adidas also took the unusual step of designing a model just for the breaststroke to account for the way a swimmer's legs move outward in the frog kick, rather than up and down in the more traditional flutter kick.

IN THE LABS

Omar Visentin, chief operating officer and former research chief at Assos, said clothing manufacturers now have more sophisticated ways to tests fabrics and the way they are cut and measure minute differences in performance. Other companies even use computer modeling to design that perfect suit with fewer prototypes, said Ajoy Sarkar, a professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology. For the Vazee Sigma track shoes that U.S. sprinter Trayvon Bromell will wear, New Balance turned to 3-D printing technology to test multiple configurations to improve traction and energy transfer. Nike also used 3-D printing and wind tunnels to improve its air-resistance protrusions, which worked only for sprints during the 2012 Olympics. Miller said prototypes from 3-D printing allowed Nike to find a shape that works for longer distances, too. Adidas designed its Adizero MD mid-distance shoes to account for curvatures in the track, rather than just the straightaway portions of races. It tested various combinations of stiffness and thinness to keep runners like Kenya's David Rudisha stabilized so they don't slow down at curves. Adidas' director of future, Deborah Yeomans, said engineers are already at work on designs for 10 years from now _ when expectations will be even higher.

PREVENTING PROBLEMS

Clothing alone won't make up for years of training, good coaching and the right body mechanics, but the wrong kind can hurt. ``You're not going to catch magic on race day from magic shoes,' U.S. marathoner Desiree Linden said in an interview. ``But if I train really hard and I get a blister or don't step on my foot right, the race doesn't matter anymore.' A late introduction of Under Armour's high-tech suit for speedskating got some of the blame for the U.S. team's dismal performance two years ago in Sochi, Russia. UA said it is already testing suits for 2018 and will try to get them to competitors sooner, with more customization for individual body types. For Rio, U.S. cyclists got their Assos suits just two weeks ago and will have the option of wearing their regular outfits if they don't like the fit. 

What Do You Think About This Flash Shoes? Tell us in your comments below.

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Comments

Harini MS NAGARJUNA VIDYANIKETAN

I think these flash shoes are just another version of those light-bearing shoes that we used to wear as kids. it is nice to see that different brands have come together to create these shoes, and they appear to be comfortable as well. Personally, I love this idea because by wearing them, I can relive my childhood without having to fell shy about anything!!

Kavya Lilhare PRESIDIUM SCHOOL INDIRAPURAM

Flash shoes are a great idea, not just for occasional wearing but also for night walks. Tech has changed the people worldwide. Gone are the days of carrying a telephone diary, now you just command the phone (via voice controls) and it automatically dials the number for you. And in terms of wearable, its a great idea. It can be used as GPS for toddlers so that they don''t get lost. It can be used to monitor fitness. It can even be used to get trackers.

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