Bodymedia is willing to invest the time, energy and money to give people that view of themselves. For 18 months, the company has been putting together the components of a system to do just that. A staff of clothing designers, medical experts and engineers devised prototypes of computerized garments that can sense and transmit health data from the wearer to Bodymedia's Web site. The task meant paying close attention not only to sensor technology, but also to the shape the devices needed to be to conform to the body and its motion. They also had to make clothes with appealing colors and stylish cuts that people would be eager to wear.
Fabrics used in the workout wear breathe and wick away moisture.
In some items, such as the jog bra, the sensor can be removed when the garment is washed. But SenseWear doesn't forget the data it has collected about you while you've worn it. Teller said some pieces, such as a ring, will require that the user place it on a base by a home computer to download measurements into the Web site's analysis center, called the Health Manager. Other items will use wireless technology to transmit the information at certain times, even if you've tossed the garment on the floor beside your bed and gone to sleep. I was wowed right from the very beginning.