Smart belts: from the indestructible one to the one that prevents falls
Usually technology comes in handy mainly in two ways: either by creating a brand new product that solves a pre-existing problem or by reinventing a product already on the market by making technological improvements that counter problems that we may never have thought of. This is the case with smart belts. An accessory that in addition to fulfilling the simple function of keeping our trousers up, until recently was nothing more than a fashion object to complement our look. Now it’s no longer the case.
In 2016, two projects having the belt as their object were presented at the CES in Las Vegas. One bore the name of Welt and was made by Samsung. It performed more or less the same functions of a smart watch: it evaluated eating habits, counted the number of steps, calculated the time spent sitting and it also measured the size of the waist. Then it sent via Bluetooth the information to a dedicated app. The main difference was in its external appearance, since it seemed a normal belt.
The Parisian company Emiota wanted to find a solution to avoid that annoying habit of undoing the belt after a binge instead. Its belt, Belty, basically loosened and tightened by itself, following the variations of the waist. Furthermore, in the sensors of the buckle, an accelerometer and a gyroscope were also inserted, which sent information to the smartphone to keep unhealthy habits at bay.
At Ces 2020, a South Korean company was awarded for its Smart Belt Pro, a belt that helps prevent falls. This, in addition to including the functions already present in previous years smart belts (that is counting steps, measuring the waistline, calculating time spent sitting and monitoring overeating ), promises to make you avoid embarrassment, and maybe a distortion, after a fall. Apple Watch had tried to do something similar, but the company points out that this device only detects a fall after it has already occurred. The Smart Belt Pro, on the other hand, is able to detect “anomalies” in the user’s walk, identifying them as possible causes for falls and thus informing the wearer in time. Smart Belts Pro are not only smart, but also beautiful and stylish. They are made of fine Italian cowhide leather.
Smart Belt Ultimate is instead the name given by Harmattan Design to its brand new belt. Its superpower? It is indestructible. We have all wished at least once in our life that an accessory or object we liked so much would last forever. Harmattan Design tried to make it a reality. It is made of Italian leather but what makes it ultra-resistant is the presence of kevlar fibers inside. These reinforce the structure preventing the belt from flexing and therefore from getting damaged. Instead of using normal paint to color the belt, the company prefers vegetable tanning that takes place in the first phase of production. In this way scratches are absorbed and are not seen from the outside. Also in this case they tried to go beyond the holes traditional system to tighten and loosen the belt, in favor of a 32 micro-adjustments system.
