Fall - InsideOutdoor Magazine

Information Sources: Outdoor versus
Fitness Consumers
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
57%
50%
16%
33%
Fitness
25% 25%
13%
Web sites TV shows Product
review sites
Outdoor
16%
Online
retailers
15% 15%
Manufacturer
sites
Source: Hanson Dodge Creative
Inching us even closer to the reality of “smart garments,”
Delaware-based Textronics develops and produces “electrotextiles”
that seamlessly integrate micro-electronics with textile
structures. Machine-washable materials including fibers,
films and coatings are designed to react to electrical, optical
or magnetic signals providing embedded intelligence to knit,
woven or non-woven structures that monitor the condition
of the wearer.
One application of the technology involves stretch fabric
placed Percent strategically Playing Games in a garment While that Camping exhibits light transmission
and reflection properties. The smart fabric measures changes
in the amount of light transmitted through the fabric relative
to the Card amount gamesof light reflected by the fabric when the 79% fabric
Pen stretches and paper in puzzles response to a dramatic motion 40% such as respiration
or a subtle motion like the beating of the heart.
Dice games
25%
An upshot is a sports bra with a heart-rate monitor built directly
into the garment – no wires, straps or clunky devices. The
Checkers/chess
18%
Scrabble
information gathered from 16% the garment can be sent wirelessly
to a compatible Monopolywristwatch.
14%
Backgammon 8%
Source: KOA
54%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Transactional Emails Are Opened & Read
60%
50%
Transactional email
Typical opt-in messaging
40%
34%
This mesh from d3o features the company’s 31% shock-absorbing
material 30% with intelligent molecules that “flow with you as you
move but upon 21% shock 21% lock together to absorb the impact energy.”
20%
15%
12%
8%
32 10% | InsideOutdoor | Fall 2008
5%
3%
Have you identified or recovered sto
and/or gift cards that were being e
The NuMetrex heart rate monitoring sports bra by Textronics Yes
80%
features electronic sensing technology integrated Yes into the 71% fabric.
The sensors in the fabric pick up the 70% wearer’s 67% heartbeat and relay it
to the WearLink transmitter in the front of the bra.
60%
Yes
68%
Textronics this summer released 50% a developer’s kit that includes
the company’s textile electrodes 40% for use by designers, No
No
33%
researchers and product developers interested in creating their 29%
30%
own interactive wearable prototypes. The kit contains stretchy
textile electrodes that can be cut and 20% sewn for custom applications
and samples of the transmitter 10% modules.
Out in front of this health and wellness
0%
movement, at least
in terms of outdoor market penetration, are 2006 various versions 2007 2
of engineered gradient or variable compression and muscle/
joint wrapping. Marketed to the outdoor Source: National industry Retail Federation primarily in
performance tights under brand names such as Skins, CW-X
and Opedix Wellness Gear, the basic concept generally involves
varied and specific surface pressures over specific body parts in
order to provide targeted support to certain muscles or joints or
trigger blood flow.
How do you prefer to communicate o
Originally developed for the healthcare with a company industry whom for applications
including medical grade stockings and post-surgical
you do busine
recovery garments, compression Emailtechnologies carry a wide array
of physiological and performance benefits, both during and
Web site
37%
post activity, say its proponents. By accelerating blood flow and 34%
venous return to specific parts of the body, and thereby 23%
Postal Mail
increasing
oxygen delivery to those parts, varied compression can fo-
35%
cus muscle power, minimizing Fixed-line voice
23%
lactic acid build-up and muscle 29%
soreness during and after an activity, accelerate muscle 18% repair
Mobile voice
and optimize body temperature, according to 12% numerous studies
and testimonials put forth by Skins and CW-X. 10%
In 5 Years
Fax
13%
Opedix, for its part, uses compression for its S1 Knee-Support
System ski tights, Other which (in person) were recently granted 10% status as an
8%
Currently
official supplier to the National Ski Patrol for the 12% Winter 2008-9
Text, SMS messages
season. Opedix S1 tights can “unload” 2% knees, says the company,
reducing the load of impact pressure knee joints 17%
Instant messaging
otherwise
5%
would absorb.
Web meetings
12%
2%
19%
Video conferencing
1.3%