Technology over the last few decades has evolved tremendously. People have taken this knowledge that was initially used for computers, and applied it to the daily life. This includes a contribution to building a healthy life style through technologies such as pedometers and Nike+, which can give audio feedback as well as track an individual’s run. So why not take this “healthy” technology to the next level? We have the technology to monitor a body temperature; we have the technology to generate a desired temperature in an enclosed area; so let’s put the two together to create a Body Temperature Suit (BTS).
The purpose of this invention is to help extend the human stamina or prolong the periods of exercise. In many scenarios, humans tend to slow down or even stop during an activity that has caused their body temperature to rise. In other words, performance of an exercise can be influenced by the surrounding environment. The BTS is a suit that would monitor the body temperature and instinctively change the surrounding temperature to a comfortable atmosphere for the body to continue an activity without feeling weakness, lightheaded, or nausea.
The very first step before even creating the BTS is getting feedback for this idea. Because the BTS is made for consumers, it would be important to know how many people are interested in this technology. In today’s society, people rely heavily on social media as a public communication. Whether by Facebook, Twitter, or another social network, using this method would be the best and fastest way to find out how interested the public would be. Creating a Twitter account would come in handy by tracking how many followers I would have. A Facebook page could determine the interest through the number of likes.
Once establishing an idea of public interest, these social networks would have also helped promote the product. Any new information or updates about the BTS would be posted to allow viewers to know what to expect from this new product. This form of marketing would then bring more feedback from customers on how to make this product better. We would apply the technique of “listen and learn” to make improvements that serve the clients. If we can value the customer, then the customer will value this new technology we have to offer.
This would be a really useful product for those that are doing long endurance events such as ironmans where it is important to stay consistent the entire race. I think the biggest hindrance would be to ensure that the suit does not interfere with the athletes ability to perform. If that could be solved, then i think there is a big market for it.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great idea- just this morning I was at the gym training for a half-marathon and I was getting so overheated because the building is kept warm enough for people to walk around in shorts while doing laundry. The only issue is that this seems like a really expensive thing, even more so since really only one person could use the room at a time. What if the suit itself had a temperature management system? Of course that might be a hindrance to the athlete, but that may be a solvable problem.
ReplyDeleteHave you also considered integrating it with a social tracking program? If you're taking an athlete's vital stats, you could easily also upload it to a network like Runkeeper. I use that because I find that it holds me accountable- people can see how much I do (or don't) exercise and it's a huge motivation. Of course, it also helps to track progress.
Either way, this would be a really helpful thing for anyone trying to seriously condition.
As a runner myself, I can honestly tell you that a full body suit to run in would not be all that intriguing for me. The sheer mechanics of making this work properly would add weight to me, and essentially add to my effort to run faster, further, longer. I'd like to read more about your idea and see how you develop this idea to tackle the logistics.
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