Data Generating Garments Using Low Cost Sensors

Today's clothes are passive items that we wear, visually interesting, but otherwise silent. What if our clothes could generate data and connect directly to the digital world? What if these clothes could generate sufficient data to drive data hungry artificial intelligence (AI) techniques such as deep learning? This would enable smart apparel that could coach you at a sport, or monitor your health, or just help you look after your clothes. In this study, we describe a data generating sports top that can be the basis of a smart coach. The construction of the garment and its use of low-cost sensors and wireless transmission of data is described. Its use for measuring the upper body pose to analyze the bowling action of cricketers is demonstrated, along with considerations of how this could be a basis for combining smart garments and AI.