What is Enabling Tech Clothing?
If you’ve noticed the term enabling tech clothing online lately, you might be wondering, what exactly is it? Enabling tech clothing is also known as smart clothing. It refers to clothing that incorporates technology to make it more functional and enhance the wearer’s experience.
Is Enabling Tech Clothing the Same as Adaptive Clothing?
No, enabling tech clothing is not the same as adaptive clothing. Adaptive clothing is designed to help individuals with disabilities get dressed more easily. This can include velcro closures on shoes or shirts, magnetic closures, larger buttons, and similar designs.
Enabling tech clothing utilizes advanced technology in the clothing itself to enhance the wearer’s experience and overall functionality. While both adaptive clothing and enabling tech clothing can make getting dressed easier and make clothing more accessible, the key difference is that clothing with enabling technology uses technology in the design.
What are the Benefits of Enabling Tech Clothing For Individuals with Disabilities?
For someone living with a disability, enabling tech clothing can potentially improve their overall quality of life. Some of the benefits include:
Providing enhanced mobility through clothing items with robotic features that support movements
Addressing sensory sensitivities through clothing that vibrates or contains adjustable compression features
Increasing independence by including specific features that make it easier for individuals to get dressed
Monitoring a person’s health status with enabling tech clothing that integrates heart rate monitoring or fall detection
Promoting recovery and wellness through clothing that offers posture correction and joint support
Examples of Enabling Tech Clothing
Some examples of enabling tech clothing include:
Clothing with built-in sensors to monitor heart rate and body temperature
Heated clothing for those who need extra warmth
Clothing that uses vibrations for those with various sensitivities
Clothing for sleeping that can monitor sleep patterns and quality of sleep
T-shirts that are designed to improve posture
Shirts and shorts with safety features such as GPS tracking or LED lights
Sneakers that can track distance or gait for improved mechanics
Compression clothing that can monitor fatigue and muscle recovery
While enabling tech clothing is still a developing industry, there’s significant potential for it to help improve an individual’s overall quality of life and increase their independence.
Learn more about SimplyHome Enabling Technology for Independent Living
SimplyHome designs and installs innovative and affordable technology solutions that transform how we care for individuals with disabilities, aging adults, and veterans.
Our sensor-based systems can adapt over time to alleviate concerns about cooking safety, medication adherence, and the risk of wandering or falls. We work with service providers, managed care organizations (MCOs), and families to mitigate challenges. Caregivers are notified only when they are needed, promoting the highest level of independence possible for the individual.