If you're new to smart clothing, you're seeing a new method in capturing data without having to wear bulky cameras. It's still a fairly new technology that hasn't fully developed until a company called Heddoko came along and changed how we look at clothing.
A Graduate from the Montreal Founder Institute, Heddoko is the brainchild of Mazen Elbawab who founded the company in 2014.
The goal of the company is to help athletes and sports enthusiasts capture first-person movements to better assess their training methods.
It's an exciting concept moving forward thanks to Heddoko being named in MilTech as a smart clothing manufacturer leader.
Background on Mazen Elbawab
Mazen has a long list of technology experience at different Montreal companies. Starting in 2010, he worked two years at Ubisoft, followed by three years at 2XM Interactive. He even worked as a software consultant at Intrinsic Medical Imaging in Detroit. Most tellingly, he became an amateur mixed martial arts athlete in his spare time.
By 2013, he started a creative software development agency called Maz-e. This was the springboard to starting Heddoko a year later. In fact, he still runs Maz-e, making him one of the rare CEOs to run two companies.
With Heddoko now open three years, Mazen is reinventing the way athletes train based on a specific Japanese term. "Heddoko" is Japanese for "Head Coach", and the company's concept goes on the idea to make analyzing and understanding human movement simpler.
So how does the technology work to capture athletic movement with more digital clarity?
Viewing Your Sports Performance in 3D
Sensors embedded in clothing are the secret to Heddoko's technology. Using its connected smartphone app, embedded sensors on clothing picks up body movements and turns them into 3D images.
What makes their technology stand out is the sensors are thin and not obstructive while playing sports. It's easy to use the material under any sports clothing to avoid disruptions.
Another unique aspect from other smart clothing manufacturers is they use more precise measurements. Plus, they use real-time analysis in the imaging so you can see exactly what you're doing right or wrong.
For those of you training in a sport requiring absolute precision, this tool is invaluable for showing you reality rather than just the general movement made.
Preventing Injuries and Improving Strength Training
How many sports injuries have you faced because you couldn't properly analyze your training techniques? Heddoko's aim is to not only prevent sports injuries, but also improve your strength training.
As Outside Online describes the technology:
Heddoko is different. Its baggy tops and bottoms (which will launch in both a men's and women's version), are designed to track a body's position via multiple sensor pods at the arms and legs, so it doesn't need to be constrictively form fitting.
The 3D aspect takes your body's form and turns it into an animated figure. Using a database, the app compares your movement with similar athletes based on your body type. You'll see a comparison animation next to yours to see the differences.
What is the Future of Heddoko?
Right now, the company ranks second in the Smart Clothing Market 2017 report. A competing company called AIQ is in the top spot, though Heddoko is closing in fast.
To help themselves develop quickly, Mazen turned to an engineering company called District 3. Doing so helped secure grant money and new team members.
We're also proud to say Mazen's mentoring through Founder Institute helped his company advance further.
Thanks to smart devices being everywhere, smart clothing is the next frontier to help produce better athletes. In future Olympics, expect to see Heddoko at the forefront of helping athletes know which body maneuvers produce gold medals.
