Specialty Fabrics Review February 2020 - 32

In a world filled
with connected
textiles, a chair is
no longer simply a
chair but a potential
means to improve
health and wellness
through biometric
measurement and
haptic feedback.
BRIAN FUNG

MYANT INC.

sophisticated algorithms and solutions
for this," says Olson.
* Communication and exchange of
semantic content. "For this we're
inspired by social haptic communication
where we adapt the existing hands-onbody signs to those that can be conveyed
to the user via actuators placed in or on
a garment or other textile-based item,"
Olson explains.
* Joyful learning/life experiences.
The project's goal is to design gamified
interactions that can assist learning
and teaching while creating fun and
recreation for those with deafblindness.
"We intend to have done much of the
groundwork and have proofs of concepts
by the end of the project," Olson says.
"But we hope this will be just the start.
We hope that a community of interested
parties will form, including potential
users, other stakeholders and developers
who will carry on the work, adding new
functionalities and components long after
the project is concluded."

Myant seeks to transform how people connect to their bodies via textiles that can sense, react
and provide performance and wellness feedback through the company's machine-learningenabled platform. Connected cycling shorts (shown here) measuring EMG help wearers
understand muscle power throughout the duration of the ride. Connected shoes help prevent
injury by providing gait analysis, allowing for real-time feedback on form. Photo: Myant Inc.

32 REVIEW FEBRUARY 2020

CREATING CONNECTIONS
Located in Toronto, Canada, Myant Inc.
connects textiles able to sense and react
to the human body to the company's
machine-learning-enabled platform-a
technology with the potential to transform
a broad spectrum of markets, says Brian
Fung, director of marketing.
"In a world filled with connected
textiles, a chair is no longer simply a
chair but a potential means to improve
health and wellness through biometric
measurement and haptic feedback," he
explains. "A shirt is not just a shirt but a
potential way to ensure an elderly parent
living alone is fine, or a way to check in on
a sleeping child to give peace of mind."
Myant has developed the textile
technology and the underpinning
platform, and has heavily invested
in developing the supply chain and
manufacturing capabilities, says Fung,
mentioning the company also works in
close collaboration with science and health
care experts, for example, partnering with
the Mayo Clinic on an atrial fibrillation
detection algorithm.
Myant's consumer-facing brand in this
effort, Skiin, demonstrates the possibilities
of having a continuous and ambient
connection to the body. The Connected
Health and Wellness System illustrates
how connected garments can provide
health and wellness assistance.
"We're launching the first elements of
our system in Q1 2020 with the innerwear
line [underwear and bras]," says Fung.
"These garments continuously and
ambiently collect biometrics and connect
that data to machine-learning algorithms
on the Myant platform to assess and
anticipate current and future well-being."
These insights are delivered through
the Skiin app, enabling users to obtain
wellness information at a glance and
giving health care practitioners the ability
to hone in on specific measures like stress
levels, sleep and other metrics, says Fung.

Specialty Fabrics Review February 2020

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