OMsignal releases new ‘smart’ sports bra to track biometrics
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OMsignal has released a smart sports bra that will help cut down on the amount of gear a woman will need while out on a run. The device—the OMbra—is reported by the Canada-based company to be the first sports bra that combines both heart and breathing rhythms to deliver data during a workout, eliminating the need for wrist-wear.
The latest $10 million round of financing comes from Relay Ventures, MAS Holdings, Bessemer Venture Partners, Techstars Ventures among others. An amount like that will surely turn heads and give the product some attention.
The item fashions a pleasant physical design that gives the user proper support and comfort needed while running and still provides accurate information regarding her workout.
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“Our focus was to create a beautiful sports bra to enhance a woman’s body, respond to the unique strains of running, and accurately detect the body’s core signals,” Joanna Berzowska, Head of Electronic Textiles at OM, said in a statement. “Boasting specially engineered fabrics and advanced sensory technology, OMbra truly is a product of science and engineering that simultaneously features innovative and inspired design.”
To read your stats, the bra comes equipped with the OMbox, which snaps onto the band of the garment. Not only does it read your heart rate and breathing patterns, but also your movement and steps via an accelerometer. This information is then sent to your iPhone in the app OMrun. OMrun includes a biometric coach that will tell you when you could have worked harder or if you need to slow it down a bit.
The release of the OMbra comes after the success the company had back in 2014 with OM’s collection of smart shirts for men. After that accomplishment, OMsignal went back to working on bras, which were the company’s initial product.
Competition emerged while OMsignal spent time designing its smart sports bra. NuMetrex and Sensoria sell sports bras that monitor heart rate, and Lululemon Athletica sold one of those in 2012.
“OMbra came to fruition through years of research, development and experimentation with female runners of all levels,” Stephane Marceau, CEO and Co-Founder of OM, said in a statement. “From the hundreds of women who tested the bra, we tried to enable a very simple and mindful approach to running that strikes a balance between the will to progress and achieve specific fitness goals, and the simple, healthy pleasures of running,”
The OMbra is now available individually for $69.00 or as a part of a starter kid that includes the OMbra, OMbox and micro USB charger for a price of $169.00.
