Heart to heart: Textronics and Adidas

Dan Rogers - 04 May 2010

Textronics CEO Stacey Burr talks to +Plastic Electronics magazine about taking smart fabrics from niche to global rollout, as part the latest personal coaching kit from Adidas.

Leaving those who have had careers as long distance runners aside, the chances are that most of us who exercise on a fairly regular basis often need a little extra help in order to get the best out of a run or other training session.

With this in mind the world's leading sportswear brands are intent on supplying more advanced and integrated personal coaching products and accessories, alongside their core business of selling trainers and clothing.

The latest in personal coaching kits to hit the market is the enhanced miCoach system from Adidas.

Since its official launch at the Consumer Electronics Show in January this year, the kit is already garnering more favourable reviews, from sites such as Gizmodo, than the Nike + iPod offering.

miCoach

The miCoach gear comes in two formats. Both are able to monitor heart rate to provide workout feedback. The miCoach Pacer, where a small clip on control unit collects data from heart and stride sensors, provides audible coaching in real time, guiding the owner to optimise their session, by working hard enough but also advising when they need to ease off the accelerator.

The Delaware-based wearable electronics firm Textronics is responsible for this last innovation. The company, led by Stacey Burr, was acquired by Adidas just under a year and a half ago.

The acquisition of Textronics by a high profile, global brand owner helps prove there is a serious market for technologies variously called smart fabrics, e-textiles, wearable computing and so on. But the Adidas-Textronics deal is an exception. It has not been followed by a slew of acquisitions of interesting technology startups, executed by big brands.

Want to read more?
This article appears in full in Volume 2, issue 6 of +Plastic Electronics magazine, including an extensive interview with Stacey Burr, Textronics CEO and VP of Adidas; details of the rollout of Adidas's smart textile products; and Burr's tips for start-ups looking to make it in the smart fabrics domain.

To subscribe to +Plastic Electronics and get immediate access to this article, as well as online access to archive articles and a postal copy of the next six issues, visit our subscriptions page.