Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) is apparently putting a lot of stock in the wearable computing industry as it makes another big bet with an electronic shirt. According to CNBC, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich showed off the shirt at the Code Conference today.
Intel embeds health sensors into shirt
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the shirt has numerous applications in healthcare. Krzanich said they have embedded chips into the shirt that can measure the wearer’s heart rate and also EKG in addition to a number of other vital signs. The Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) executive said it can even sense the emotions the wearer is feeling and can enable doctors to visualize the patient’s overall health.
According to Krzanich, the shirt can be worn in the rain, even though it is battery powered. However, he recommended that people don’t try it out in the shower. He also said the battery must be removed before the shirt can be placed in the washing machine and dryer. It can also interact with a smartphone app, as would be expected.
Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) did not say how much the shirt will sell for or where it will be available for purchase. The company said it and AIQ designed the shirt specifically for bicyclists, although it could also be used to monitor the vital signs of hospital patients and the elderly.
Intel invests heavily in wearable devices
Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) said AIQ is the shirt’s creator and that it will go on sale this year. The company’s management has been focused on success in the wearable computing industry, particularly because Intel missed the boat on mobile computing. Intel has said earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show that it was planning to show off a smart shirt running on Intel chips.
Krzanich has said in the past that Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) is aiming to cover the “eyes, ears, wrist and torso” with wearable devices. In other words, this shirt is probably just one of many more wearable computing devices powered by Intel chips that we will see going forward.
Shares of Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) rose nearly 1% after the announcement.
