Intel makes ‘smart shirt’ and robot kit for 3D printers available this year

Intel will make a shirt with sensors available this summer. The shirt can be combined with an Edison mini computer to send real-time data such as heart rhythm to smartphones and tablets. Intel also comes with an open source kit for 3D printing robots.

Intel does not market the shirt itself, but works with partners for this. Conductive fibers are incorporated into the shirt that can record the wearer’s heart rhythm, Mike Bell of Intel’s New Products Department explains to Re/code. This data can be processed by a portable device that contains an Edison sign and can be connected to the shirt.

Edison is Intel’s small computer the size of an SD card, which contains an Atom or Quark soc. Edison can send the data to smartphones or tablets via bluetooth or wifi, where the heart rhythm can be visualized. Intel focuses on athletes with the shirt and the first smart clothing should be available in the summer, but prices are not yet known.

http://player.theplatform.com/p/PhfuRC/vNP4WUiQeJFa/embed/select/uIw_a6ha2Hij?width=640&height=360

In addition, Intel will make a robot kit for 3D printers available at the end of this year for $1600. It is an open source kit for parts that can be used to create a robot that can walk, dance and send tweets. The consumer version will run on an Edison, but there will also be an educational variant, Engadget writes, which will cost $16,000 and includes a Core i5.