Industry Technologies
Digital technology is playing a transformative role in our everyday lives, shaping not only how we interact with the world around us but also ourselves. The impact of this trend is most prevalent when examining the wellness landscape, where consumers continue to embrace technologies such as wearables, AI, and other digital technologies to improve their health and everyday lives.
According to the latest study by McKinsey, the global wellness market is estimated to be worth US$1.8 trillion in 2024, with the U.S. market alone reaching US$480 billion this year, growing at 5-10 percent per year. The key trends that will define this US$1.8 trillion wellness market include digital health, next-gen wearable technologies, and Gen AI.
To cater to this growing market, SINBON and MAKALOT have partnered to bring the benefits of textile wearables to industries worldwide. SINBON and MAKALOT's unique Soft Electronics/Textile product creation platform provides a comprehensive development, validation to production service for brands aiming to launch textile wearable products into global markets. As a first step, the companies have collaborated with a U.S. fitness tech startup to introduce a revolutionary EMS home fitness suit to the U.S. market this year. Going forward, SINBON and MAKALOT plan to leverage the Soft Electronics/Textile product creation platform to expand their services to partners across multiple industries including Medical, industrial, and Consumers.
A new era of Electronics/Textile collaboration
A critical pain point for any ambitious company that wants to launch a revolutionary product is finding the right partner that it can count on for innovations, flexibility, speed, and quality. SINBON and MAKALOT's Soft Electronics/Textile product creation platform offers exactly what a startup needs and more. SINBON and MAKALOT's first joint project involved developing a one-of-a-kind smart EMS home fitness suit with a U.S. fitness tech startup. The product aims at providing the world's most efficient workout experience by leveraging the technology of Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS). Unlike any traditional EMS training product, which requires a trip to a studio and the physical presence of a trainer, this revolutionary product democratizes access to the transformative power of EMS by integrating every required hardware into a single suit, including the connectors, wire harness, and electrode pads. The suit is an FDA Class II medical device and entirely machine washable.
Choosing to work with SINBON/MAKALOT, this fitness startup successfully launched its products and achieved critical acclaim by being named one of the Best Inventions in 2023 by Time magazine. All of the electronic components were developed by SINBON to be soft, flexible, and machine washable; these components were then integrated seamlessly into the garment using MAKALOT's textile/electronic integration technology. Unlike most wearables that cannot survive a washing machine, every suit is built to withstand rigorous wear and tear and multiple laundry cycles; going through rigorous testing to ensure reliability, durability, and functionality in the SINBON/MAKALOT in-house testing facility including bending, swinging, abrasion, tensile strength, and washing tests following IEC, ASTM and AATCC standards. Furthermore, custom testing fixtures, tools, and software were developed and built by SINBON to support suit production IQC and FQC to ensure final products' functionality and quality. Finally, SINBON/MAKALOT's experience and expertise in medical device development and production have ensured that the product is developed and manufactured under the highest standard of ISO-13485 medical device quality management system.
Automated Sewing Line at MAKALOT Flagship Factory
Image: MAKALOT Industrial Co., Ltd.
Warehouse Worker Wearing Futuristic Exosuit | Image: Adobe Stock
The vision: textile wearables for all industries
The companies envision a future where the benefits of textile wearables empower users across multiple industries, including Medical, Industrials, and Consumers. "We are excited about the potentials and opportunities that textile wearables might bring. For example, textiles can integrate with robotic and AI technology to create soft exoskeleton suits that not only can augment human capabilities in various ways, including rehabilitation for patients with mobility issues or injury prevention for workers in labor-intensive industries such as manufacturing or logistics, but also provide comfort and ease of use for the users," says Jimmy Chou, Product Innovation Manager at MAKALOT. With SINBON's industry-leading technology solutions in the Medical, Automotive, Green Energy, Industrial, and Communication sectors, it continues to innovate, turning vision into reality, while also upholding its commitment to corporate social responsibility and striving to be a sustainable enterprise. Combined with MAKALOT'S textile/electronic integration solution, the sky is the limit for SINBON/MAKALOT's Soft Electronics/Textile product creation platform and an exciting future awaits as more innovations are on the horizon.
Source: MAKALOT Industrial Co., Ltd.
