From trainers to bras: the body becomes a technological platform
Shoes that promise more concentration in competition, 'living' leggings that use bacteria to rejuvenate the skin, underwear with microbeads that stimulate the lymphatic system. Welcome to the age of bio-wearabl
Shoes that help improve concentration, perhaps during a competition. Leggings with bacteria that rejuvenate the skin. Bras with microbeads to stimulate the lymphatic system.
It is no longer enough for wearable technology to monitor our sports performance and health values. No, now it even has the ambition to change them, those performances and values. Cure us, even. Or at least that is the promise of a new category of innovative clothing. The scientific evidence for now is bland, but the elements on the plate are promising.
The first Nike shoes 'based on neuroscience' have been available for purchase for a few days, according to the company. Created in Nike's Mind Science Department, where neuroscientists and other experts study the connection between brain and body, the Nike Mind 001 and 002 are, respectively, a pair of sandals and trainers with bright orange foam knots of various sizes dotting the sole. The company claimed that each knot acts to transmit the feeling of the ground to the wearer.
Official American prices start at 95 dollars, but in Italy they are already under 90 euros. Nike's promise: these shoes sharpen the wearer's senses and improve concentration. In studies conducted by the company, scientists were able to observe a difference in brain activity after 15 minutes of use, in particular an increase in alpha wave activity, associated with 'concentration, visualisation, meditation and presence'.
The supporting studies are not yet public, but will be by 2026, Nike says. A few studies are starting to arrive in support of another wearable technology aimed at altering our brain waves: headbands to put on our foreheads, to fall asleep earlier. They work with sound impulses (like Elemind's) or electrical impulses (Somnee's), with prices around $500 for the more advanced ones.
