Wearable technology company BeBop Sensors has unveiled their first product, the BeBop Wearable Smart Fabric Sensor, an ultra-thin fabric that can measure various aspects of physical interaction.

Using BeBops patented proprietary Monolithic Fabric Sensor technology, the smart fabric can provide real-time info on force, location, size, twist, bend and motion as it is interacted with.

Unlike other wearable sensors that only measure physiology, electrical conductivity or breathing, the fabric measures actual physicality, creating a 3D map of data that can be displayed and analysed.

Among the applications for the smart fabric are wearable controllers that enable users to answer calls, adjust volume or select songs using a shirt or jacket, insoles for shoes that measure gait, pressure, fit and flexure of toes and feet, and grip sensors for sporting equipment and weights.

Smart yoga and gym mats can show hand and foot pressure in real time for teaching, while car seat sensors can adjust airbag fill volume based on passengers, and steering wheels can sense driver alertness. The fabric could even be used to anticipate diabetic events by sensing foot volume.