By Bridgette Meinhold / Source: Ecouterre

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Ralph Lauren tested out its new smart workout shirt at the 2014 U.S. Open on ball boys and now they are releasing the PoloTech shirt to the public. Combining smart electronic textiles, a Bluetooth device and a custom iPhone app, the PoloTech shirt offers instant feedback on your vitals during your workout and even adapts your workout based on your vitals. The snug men’s workout shirt isn’t for everyone though – this luxury item costs almost as much as an Apple Watch and needs to be washed every time you wear it.

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Ralph Lauren worked closely with Montreal-based wearable technology brand, OMSignal to develop their PoloTech smart shirt. The biometric sensing shirt features silver fibers woven into the shirt that work in conjunction with an black box attached to the shirt. The detachable black box includes an accelerometer and gyroscope, which transmits data about the wearer’s heart rate, breathing depth, energy output, and even stress levels.

Using Bluetooth, the box sends the data to the PoloTech iPhone app, which is based on OMSignal’s own workout app. The app monitors the wearer’s vitals, displays them in real time and then adapts the workout’s intensity based on your stats. The shirt features flat seams for minimal chaffing and the signature Polo pony and logo printed on the front and back. The PoloTech shirt is available for $295 and comes in any color you want, as long as that color is black. Just for comparison’s sake, you can get the same thing over at OMSignal for $275, it just doesn’t have Polo’s logo on it.

Read more @ Ecouterre