A Finnish children’s clothing company called Reima, known for its functional outerwear, is to introduce clothing featuring “wearable technology” designed to motivate children to enjoy outdoor activities.
The idea is that when the child moves around in their ski jacket, a built-in movement sensor tracks that activity. The activity is then recognised by a child-oriented mobile app which is free to use and rewards the child with fun features. Called ReimaGO® the clothing is due to go on sale this autumn 2016.
“Parents are worried about kids not moving enough, as they are so attracted to consoles and mobile gaming. But we can turn the tables and use games to kids’ advantage, too! After being active and intensely moving outdoors with their ReimaGO® sensors, kids can enjoy the fun on the mobile screen,” explained Elina Björklund, Reima’s CEO.
“Teaching kids to postpone gratification can be quite challenging in today’s ‘I-want-it-all-and-now’ society. We believe ReimaGO® can help: the game will reward kids for achieving their goals, and parents can even invent additional rewards. Kids will get the health benefits of energising exercise, the fun of playing a cool game, plus the natural pleasure after physical activity – actually it’s a triple reward,” she added.
The ReimaGO® movement sensor has been especially developed in conjunction with another Finnish company, Suunto, implementing their Movesense® technology and expertise in tracking movement.
The sensor is designed to be wearable, washable, waterproof and practically unbreakable, and it also works in extremely cold weather. It measures the intensity and duration of a child’s physical activity during the day. It wakes up whenever kids start to move, and it can be used to track movement everywhere. The app works on Apple’s iOS platform, and parents have their own interface with it, separate to the child’s.
