BeBop's smart fabric puts sensors in everything you wear
Wearable sensors don't tend to do much; they're usually limited to health data like EKG readings or your heart rate. If BeBop Sensors has its way, though, they'll be useful for just about anything that comes in contact with your body. Its new smart fabric sensor tracks virtually every aspect of physical presence, including bending, location, movement and pressure. As you might imagine, that opens the door to... well, quite a lot. You could have smart insoles that track both your pace and your running style, or baseball gloves that help perfect your swing; BeBop also sees uses in everything from wearable controllers to smart yoga mats that improve your poses. The company is only providing the basic technology, not finished products, so it'll be a while before you see this smart cloth in something you can buy. Even so, it's clear that there's a lot of potential -- you may always have a way to measure your activities without resorting to wristbands or other conspicuous gear.
