Wave Company (CEO Jo Nayeon) announced its participation in the three-day ‘2024 World IT Show (WIS 2024)’ at COEX in Seoul from April 17th to 19th.
Wave Company develops sports and smart wearables based on research and development of smart textile materials to enhance and measure people’s movements. They emphasized that they have successfully addressed issues such as the functionality of their textile materials, as well as garment comfort, durability, washability, and manufacturing costs, establishing a differentiated position in the smart clothing market. They have been incorporating research and development into textiles such as ‘ElecSil,’ which measures bio-data such as EMS, haptic, ECG, and EMG, and ‘TracSil,’ which measures movement, into clothing and protective gear. They have been gaining ground in the sports sector through Wave Wear, a sports gym wear brand using the smart textile adhesive silicone ‘BWAS’ since 2018.
The ‘TracMe’ showcased at this exhibition is a smart fitness assistant. Once worn, it automatically records and analyzes movements, providing an exercise solution platform. It is praised for automatically accumulating exercise data through the company’s custom AI program, objectively showing the user’s exercise situation with data. A Wave Company representative explained, “Users can focus on exercising, and with the accumulated data, they are guided to perform the correct exercises, effectively helping users achieve their health and wellness goals.”
Unlike GPS-based smartwatches, ‘TracMe’ is distinctive for tracking joint movements in real-time using smart sensors. It is considered the most suitable item for modern individuals who face many time-space constraints as long as they have the app and device to collect data.
The ‘TracMe’ platform, which incorporates the sensor e-textile technology for measuring movements, was developed to address the inconvenience of manually registering information for recording and forgetting to count numbers during strength training. The representative stated, “This method can provide a simpler solution than IMU sensors and camera motion capture. Unlike traditional fitness apps, it accumulates automatically moving data to show the user’s exercise situation objectively, and the built-in customized AI program in the platform serves as a ‘personal fitness assistant’ by providing the correct solution, allowing users to enjoy exercising alone.”
‘TracMe’ received the Innovation Award in the Digital Health sector at CES 2024 held in Las Vegas earlier this year and ranked 2nd in the health tech sector at VivaTech 2023 in Paris, receiving global recognition for its technological prowess in the health field. Wave Wear, the functional clothing developed by Wave Company, is exported successfully to various countries, including the United States, Australia, Japan, Germany, Malaysia, and Vietnam. It recorded a growth of about 70% in sales compared to the previous year, and in the spring of 2024, it plans to launch collaboration products with outdoor brands in the domestic market. The company aims to continuously expand its export plans to solidify its position in the international market.
The future goals were also shared. The representative stated, “Wave Company’s smart textile materials are continuously being researched to improve quality and functionality. We have developed them to be used not only as electrodes but also as wires. We seek partnerships to expand and diversify our product line with innovative products in sports tech and digital healthcare markets.” Additionally, they added, “‘TracMe’ will release programs for gym centers and fitness centers using technology related to dumbbell exercises and health in addition to the current home training exercises. If the material technology we develop advances, we aim to expand into the medical and rehabilitation fields by measuring users’ movements, angles, and speeds and demonstrating detailed and expanded technology beyond the sports field.”
The WIS 2024, themed ‘Innovation and Connection, All Possibilities of the Digital World,’ will showcase the latest technologies and products in areas such as AI & IoT technology and platforms, 5G connectivity, wireless communication technology and networks, cloud & big data, ICT Convergence, digital twin & metaverse, smart living and healthcare, robotics, intelligent mobility including autonomous driving and eco-friendly mobility, blockchain and security, and quantum information technology.