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ClosePREVAYL BIOMETRIC SMARTWEAR™ FOR BETTER FITNESS
Many athletes and fitness enthusiasts use a combination of devices to track their steps and vital signs. But monitoring and storing one’s data in trackers, apps, and smartwatches can sometimes leave meaningful insights and performance progress untapped.
Enter Prevayl, a next-generation, biometric smartwear pioneer. Prevayl has a vision for developing big tech in small packages and incorporating biometric technology to guide fitness training, accelerate athletic performance, and enable a safer, more personalized, and effective workout.
Prevayl envisioned a small sensor hidden in stylish biometric smartwear to gather continuous data and distill actionable insights from the accurate and real-time monitoring of everything from heart rate and breathing rate to recovery status and readiness to perform. But the challenges of powering, monitoring, and processing up to 1,000 data points per second, more than any other wearable on the market, in a small form factor, were formidable.
Prevayl turned to Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI), leaders in data conversion, signal processing, and power management, for its clinical-grade sensing technology and expertise in converting real-world phenomena into insights that help transform lives.
AT A GLANCE
COMPANY
Prevayl’s team of data scientists and garment designers created a connected ecosystem of next-generation, biometric smartwear that pushes the limits of fitness and performance.
GOAL
Paint a complete picture of one’s fitness and well-being. Deliver real-time, actionable insights that help guide training and enable a safer and more effective workout.
CHALLENGE
Eliminate the need for multiple devices. Develop a real-time, high sample rate, low power, clinically accurate, centralized solution in a compact form that consolidates all captured data in a simple UI.
“Our synergistic relationship with ADI dates to the very moment the concept of Prevayl was born.”Michael John Lynch
VP of Futures, Prevayl
THE BEGINNING OF IT ALL
In 2019, Prevayl’s data experts, garment designers, and fabric scientists began a quest to develop its SmartWear™—a wearable biometric technology for the multibillion-dollar fitness market. To attain its vision, the startup needed to source and then integrate technology that would allow it to pack increased functionality into a small volume while maintaining low power and high accuracy.
Prevayl’s search led them to ADI and a series of meetings with its domain experts and field application engineers (FAEs). They discussed Prevayl’s goals, reviewed the technical challenges, and explored ADI’s expansive portfolio of vital signs monitoring (VSM) technology. Prevayl first focused on ADI’s clinical-grade ECG acquisition chip (MAX30001), which records the heart’s electrical activity at a high sample rate, and with low operating power.
“We were given the opportunity to look at the ECG chip while it was still being designed and offer ADI feedback,” said Michael John Lynch, Vice President of Futures, Prevayl. “We incorporated several of Prevayl’s suggestions, which helped to improve the chip’s design,” said Richard Ward, Senior Account Manager, ADI. As a result of the collaboration, Prevayl gained an understanding of how it could exploit the chip’s capabilities to perfect its algorithm development and extend the runtime of its space constrained battery.
| WHY AN ECG IS IMPORTANT TO FITNESS TRAINING |
| An ECG records how fast the heart beats, the rhythm of the beats (steady or irregular), and the strength and timing of electrical impulses as they move through the different parts of the heart. The ECG assesses the heart's response to stress or exercise and can determine limits for a safe workout. |
Prevayl also selected ADI’s digital temperature sensor (MAX30208)—offering remarkable performance for its power and size, with a high accuracy of ±0.1°C. They also incorporated the ADP5360 advanced battery management PMIC for features including the protection of overcharge and overdischarge.
Its size, weight, and power (SWaP) requirements presented a challenge, as everything needed to fit into a small sensor pack about the size of a postage stamp and last for up to seven days on a single charge.
BIG TECH IN A SMALL SENSOR
Prevayl developed an innovative solution for its biometric smartwear. Along with the Prevayl Sensor, it created a smart underband weaved into its clothing to capture clinical-grade ECG readings directly from a wearer’s heart. The underband eliminates the need for obtrusive wires, cables, and straps that might restrict and interfere with movement during fitness training. Accurate biometric readings and performance data are captured in real-time—measuring the heart’s electrical activity directly from the chest cavity. The location of the sensor and electrodes, coupled with ADI’s ECG technology, measures the heart activity directly, which is considerably more accurate than indirect methods employed on the wrist, such as in a smartwatch. And it is significantly more accurate during intense training.
“Support from ADI’s team of on-the-ground engineers enabled us to focus on garment-driven development and electronics integration. It helped accelerate our speed to market.”Adam Crofts
CEO of Prevayl
THREE-PART APPROACH TO A SMARTER WORKOUT
The company offers a centralized solution that consolidates all the biometric data captured and displays it on its simple-to-use smartphone app, painting a complete picture of one’s fitness and performance. Data can also be sent to a third party, like a trainer or medical professional, for review.
Prevayl provides accurate health monitoring and reading metrics such as heart rate, heart rate variability, and training load. The technology may also be leveraged to take ECG readings (without the help of a healthcare professional) or to guide training to accelerate athletic performance.
REAL-TIME INSIGHT ENGINE
Prevayl’s insight engine, developed by their data scientists and analysts, enables users to understand their health and fitness more precisely and clearly with advanced technology and responsive algorithms. Insight features include BodyCheck™, a recovery test designed to determine readiness to perform; FitnessCheck™, a cardiovascular fitness test to help users better understand their health and fitness levels; and Body Load, a real-time measurement of cumulative training load within a training session for a safer, more effective workout.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR PREVAYL
In 2022, Prevayl launched SmartWear–the world’s first performance apparel enhanced with a clinical-grade ECG, unrivaled for its accuracy. The biometric pioneer also created a fully functioning ecosystem of smart clothing, delivering functional fibers and technical textiles for solution-focused garments.
“Access to ADI’s technology and VSM expertise gave us an edge over our competitors, and we’re using it to our advantage,” said Adam Crofts, CEO of Prevayl. “ADI’s clinical grade chipsets and focus on low power enabled us to redefine smart clothing and build for the future.”
After four years of development, Prevayl has created an ecosystem of wearable technology that transcends a single product. This innovative technology can be embedded into any apparel to create a bespoke solution that effectively solves a specific problem. It has undergone thorough validation and has been patented to offer the highest level of protection. Now, it is available to brands to spearhead change across a multitude of industries–including but not limited to fitness, defense, healthcare, and the workplace.
Today, Prevayl is redefining and advancing wearable technology through strategic partnerships—licensing components of its patented connected ecosystem and enabling partners to develop their own line of connected wearables, including workwear, uniforms, and sportswear. “We partner with the world’s most visionary brands to bring their ideas to life and, more importantly, to market,” said Alex Crimmens, Commercial Director, Prevayl. “Together, we’re pushing the possibilities of wearable technology and bringing health, wellness, and performance to the masses.”
