CAN CLOTHES HELP BOOST MOVEMENT?

How can clothing that help consumers to improve their mobility and performance? For instance, biotechnology company Cionic launched the Neural Sleeve—the winner of the impact category in Fast Company’s 2024 Innovation by Design Awards. The garment, which slips over the leg like a giant sock and can be worn discreetly under clothing, helps people with multiple sclerosis, a stroke, or cerebral palsy to walk. Meanwhile, technical outerwear brand Arc’teryx and wearable technology startup Skip have teamed up to create exoskeleton hiking pants, powered by AI, in a style of clothing they’re calling “movewear.” When a person uses a pair of fully functioning electronic hiking pants MO/GO — short for “Mountain Goat” — and takes off on the trail, the pants add electronic assist to power them forward more like a, well, mountain goat. The brands designed this device specifically for anyone who loves hiking but suffers from mobility challenges due to aging, fatigue, or injury.