US Open Ball Boys Test Ralph Lauren Smart Shirts

The U.S. Open ball boys are doing a test run of sorts with Ralph Lauren's new smart shirts, which keep tabs on things like heart rates and aggregates it onto a different device like a smartphone. The company says its new smart shirts are the first of its kind to be rolled out by a major fashion label, and could transform wearables.

The smart shirts, featured in the image above, have a conductive thread coated in silver woven into the fabric, where it gathers information on breathing rates, heart rate, and stress, and pipes it to a paired smartphone app or other device with supporting software.

Attention was also paid to the design itself, aiming to provide a look that the average person would be okay wearing. This is as opposed to the, for example, wireless charger-toting pants from Microsoft, which aren't washable and feature a large charger.

Said David Lauren, "Everyone is exploring wearable tech watches and headbands and looking at cool sneakers. We skipped to what we thought was new, which is apparel. We live in our clothes." He foresees smart shirts transforming the company's image — we'll be seeing smart shirts hit shelves in the first half of 2015.

SOURCE: New York Times