A new breakthrough in wearable technology from MC10 allows athletes to better monitor biofeedback — even alerting them to potential trauma.
As athletes, we know our bodies are capable of extraordinary things. In our quest to excel and compete, we train harder and longer, pushing our paces and refusing to acknowledge the telltale signs of fatigue. Most of the time, this competitive fire is beneficial. It helps us break through, set new PRs, and accomplish goals we had previously only dreamed possible. Sometimes, however, without the use of wearable technology the line between what our bodies can and can’t do under great stress becomes blurred, resulting in over-training and injury.
Luckily, startup tech company MC10 is set to revolutionize the way we work out and play sports by employing an innovative technology that gives athletes real-time information about what is going on inside their bodies. Their ultimate goal? To adapt electronics to human bodies by producing a wearable device called a Biostamp that can be placed directly on the skin, much like a Band-Aid or sticker. This thin, flexible electronic will monitor physiological activity such as heart rate and movement, then transmit it to a user-friendly app.
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To date, the most realized application of this Biostamp technology is MC10’s partnership with Reebok. Together, they have designed the Reebok CHECKLIGHT, a mesh-like cap lined with sensors that can monitor and log impact to the head during any contact sport. The CHECKLIGHT records real-time information visually through an attached sensor and measures what level of impact the head has received. That means athletes, coaches, and trainers can quickly gauge the severity of the impact and can choose either to continue to play or seek medical attention. As described on Reebok.com, “CHECKLIGHT provides an objective measurement of impact force and is designed to lead athletes on a pathway to assessment.”
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By pioneering advanced, cutting-edge wearable technology to help athletes record and understand their metabolic levels in order to learn when to recover and when to push forward, MC10 is transforming how we do sports. Which, in turn, is helping us evolve into better, stronger, and healthier lifelong athletes.