Polar's next fitness wearable is a smart shirt
The Team Pro Shirt will attempt to best competing garments from Hexoskin and OMSignal.
In the good old days, the best way to get accurate body readings was to strap on a chest-worn heart-rate monitor and go out for a run. But companies like OMSignal and Hexoskin, among others, changed this by developing monitors that could be embedded in fabrics. It was this trend that led to the first and second waves of "smart" running shirts that we've seen at several previous CES shows. Now Polar, a company that made its name building chest straps, is getting in on the action with the Polar Team Pro Shirt. The Team Pro Shirt is a sleeveless base layer that's designed to be worn under your traditional running top or sweats. On the inside you'll find two fabric sensors that, with contact to your skin, will monitor your heart rate, removing the need for a chest strap. Underneath the collar there's also a little pouch, into which you'll tuck a "pod" that can track your motion and clock stats like your speed, distance run and acceleration. Given the name, it's no surprise to see the shirt is intended to integrate directly with Polar's Team Pro coaching platform. It's used by elite-level sports teams, including the NFL's Atlanta Falcons and other groups within the NBA, NHL and MLB. But sufficiently committed amateurs can also dive in, since the shirt will also integrate with Polar Flow and any of the company's other pro wearables, including the V800, M600 and M400. The Polar Team Pro Shirt will be available at some point in March for an as-yet undisclosed price.
