Get Your ‘Smart Polo’ On, Ralph Lauren Enters the Wearable Tech Fray

Those clunky fitness wristbands and watches are about to get some competition from a shirt that tracks much of the data, courtesy of Ralph Lauren. The luxury clothing designer is debuting the Ralph Lauren Polo Tech shirt at the US Open today, where it is the official outfitter. The shirt uses technology from OMsignal to collect biometric data, which is wirelessly transmitted to the company’s servers. Users can view data, including hearbeat, energy output, stress level, and others on a smartphone app.


The US Open ball boys will be wearing the new shirts, which aren’t available for sale yet. Ralph Lauren is also dressing up-and-coming player Marcos Giron in the shirts. There’s something to be said for clothing that has biometric sensors built in – namely, that you won’t need to wear anything on your wrist. But the technology is understandably going to be expensive at first, so expect to see it appearing in brands like Ralph Lauren before it makes its way down to us Champion-loving types.