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In the beginning of December 2017 Elitac and BYBORRE joined forces in the development of a HapticJersey for cyclists to improve cycling experience, quality and performance. The goal is to create an unique user experience for cyclists. Currently biometric and navigation data is provided by non-intuitve platforms like mobile phones, heart-rate belts and sports watches that are an unnatural addition to the body of the athlete. Integrating sensors and actuators directly into the fabric of the cycling jersey enables data gathering as well as haptic feedback in a less obtrusive and more intuitive experience.

The collaboration combines the key expertise of BYBORRE’s engineered knits and integrated haptic interfaces of Elitac.

BYBORRE

BYBORRE is an Amsterdam based textile innovation studio working on the frontiers of material development, functionality and aesthetics through engineered knits. Over the past six years BYBORRE has worked with clients such as Nike, wings+horns, The North Face, and Daniel Arsham. Through consultation and collaboration with other brands, BYBORRE pushes knit innovation to find creative ways to achieve the project’s goal.

Elitac

Elitac enables wearable innovation by adding intelligence to textiles in a way we directly interact with the human body. Elitac’s expertise in stretchable electronics, haptic feedback and proprietary operating system enables to create various wearable systems for different (professional) markets. The electronic circuits behave like textiles and can be integrated in different garments, like the HapticJersey for cyclists.

HapticJersey

The Haptic Jersey provides a new kind of interaction on the skin while training or racing, without the need to look at a cycling computer, smartwatch or smartphone. The cyclist will be provided with real-time haptic feedback on their performance. The HapticJersey will be a valuable extension of existing sensors, monitors and social apps. The shirt does not have the intention to replace those systems, but to present existing data in a different way, while cycling. The gentle vibration signals on the skin will provide an information display which is intuitive and easy to understand.

The HapticJersey is developed in close cooperation with professional cyclists, to gather deep insights in what performance indicators are most useful during a training session.

The project is co-funded by RVO as an MIT R&D collaborative project and will run until June of 2019.

Want to be involved?

Are you a passionate cyclist that wants to be involved in the development of the 3D haptic Jersey? Send us an email so we can get you involved in preliminary user testing!

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