Wearable of the Month: Under Armour Athlete Recovery Sleepwear

January 26th, 2017

When we hear the word wearable, we often think of the FitBit that tracks how many steps we take in one day or the wireless earbuds that are so small yet produce such amazing sound. But, many people often forget that the wearable world goes beyond fitness trackers, headphones, and watches. Smart clothing is a growing trend in wearable tech, as more and more companies enhance our clothing to better our lives. Under Armour is revolutionizing smart clothing technology with their athlete recovery sleepwear. Let’s discover why they are our Wearable of the Month!

About Under Armour Athlete Recovery Sleepwear

Under Armour was originally created off of a simple idea: Make products that will help athletes perform better. However, the Athlete Recovery Sleepwear has nothing to do with working out. Instead, the brand new line of clothing was designed specifically for sleeping. What does this have to do with your workouts? Well the whole idea is that the recovery sleepwear will improve the user’s sleep quality, in turn helping athletes get the rest they need to maximize post-workout recovery and wake up feeling energized and ready to go, rather than exhausted and groggy. Recovery is very important for athletes. Just ask Tom Brady, who described the high tech pajamas as a game changer, or any of the other athletes Under Armour has gotten to endorse the product. You may only spend an hour or two each day working out, but it’s the other 22 hours that can affect your performance, especially when it comes to sleep. That’s wear Under Armour’s new technology comes in.

Under Armour Athlete Recovery Sleepwear

Photo Credit: Under Armour

 The Technology and How It Works

So how do these smart pajamas work? The new collection of sleepwear is lined with a bio-ceramic fabric. Using what Under Armour dubs TB12 technology, this specific fabric is able to absorb user’s’ body heat and reflect it back to the wearer in the form of Far Infrared heat. This process mimics the effects of Far Infrared therapy, which is usually used to to improve blood flow and aid muscle recovery. This is not the first time that this type of fabric was used to achieve similar results. Blankets using Far Infrared fabrics supposedly greatly improve sleep quality and have been shown to treat inflammation. A pair of gloves made of this fabric have even been used to successfully treat arthritis.

Why is this important? The anti-inflammatory results that Far Infrared therapy produces can reduce recovery time for athletes, allowing them to perform to the best of their ability each day. Besides improving your workout and reducing inflammation, Under Armour reports that after testing, they found that people wearing these high tech pajamas can fall asleep faster, sleep longer, and wake up less frequently in the middle of the night. The sleepwear also can regulate cell metabolism.

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Photo Credit: Under Armour

There is also an option to track your sleep patterns with Under Armour’s app, UA Record, which is available on the Apple Store and Google Play. The app is a 24/7 fitness and health system, tracking your activity, workouts, and in this case most importantly sleep patterns.

Under Armour wearable

Photo Credit: Under Armour

You can purchase a pair of these high tech pajamas from Under Armour’s website. The clothing line includes full length shirts and pants, as well as short-sleeve shirts and shorts. The Sleep Recovery line is available for both men and women, and prices range between $80 and $100.

Under Armour Smart Clothing

Photo Credit: Under Armour

Wireless Charging for Wearables & Smart Clothing

As wearables get smaller and smaller, the need to easily charge these devices is growing, because fumbling to charge such tiny devices can be a hassle to users. That’s where wireless charging comes in.

Wireless charging can be effectively used to charge smart clothing. Smart clothing has the ability to take many shapes and forms to a point that it undetected by the naked eye. It could be a machine-washable shirt, pants or the Under Armour fitness pajamas mentioned above. The technology for smart clothes will most likely continue to evolve drastically in the next couple of years. Becoming further customized for each client base or professional use, for example, smart clothing for firefighters that could monitor oxygen or hazardous gas levels. As seamless and unnoticeable as smart clothing is to the naked eye, such should be its charging experience. Wireless charging technology seems like a necessity when it comes to smart clothing; after all, wouldn’t it seem odd to plug in your socks or shirt to a wall charger?

Humavox wireless charging for wearables

Humavox’s ETERNA wireless charging platform is a minimal size solution with a tiny wireless charging receiver that allows for effective integration within the clothing fabric. This gives users the ability to comfortably charge smart clothing without the hassle of dealing with cords. Moreover, ETERNA supports the waterproof solution necessary with sensor technology by eliminating the need for a USB port altogether. The elimination of a USB ports prevents any possible malfunction of the device with unwanted water penetration, as well as allows the integration of additional underwater features.

With the integration of wireless charging into smart clothing, wearables such as Under Armour’s Athlete Recovery Sleepwear will not only help us improve our lives, but will also be easy to charge, eliminating the frustration of dealing with extra wires or cords. Congratulations again to Under Armour for creating our Wearable of the Month!

Read more about wireless charging for wearables.