Pierre-Alexandre Fournier is the CEO and Co-Founder of Hexoskin, a connected health technology company based in Montreal that focuses on smart clothing design and intelligent software for health and performance. Hexoskin was founded in 2006 and launched in 2013 the first iPhone-compatible smart clothing for health monitoring, which won several international awards.
His work at Hexoskin also includes the design of new wearable health sensors for space missions, clinical trials, chronic diseases, and machine learning for health analysis. Pierre-Alexandre is also an advisor for transparency in healthcare, patient empowerment, and healthcare innovation through design.
Can you walk us through a quick introduction of Hexoskin?
Pierre-Alexandre Fournier: Hexoskin is a Montreal-based company established in 2006. Me and my partner, Jean-François Roy, co-Founder and CTO, wanted to get data about users that they can’t get anywhere else. That’s why we decided to integrate sensors in the shirt. The Hexoskin system can be worn under daily living clothes and it’s a convenient way to follow the fitness level all day. It’s the only clinically validated system that records continuously ECG with respiratory lung functions and daily/sleep activity.
Why is the company called “Hexoskin”?
PAF: The company is called Hexoskin because the clothing is near of the skin.
What are your goals and how do your products work?
PAF: We want to work with associations, care professionals, sleep, clinicians, and researchers. Our goal is to measure personal health and make it accessible and useful. The smart shirt measure heart rate, breathing rate, activity, and sleep. Also, it’s a non-invasive system that helps to know what happens to people in their everyday life, instead of doing research in a clinical environment.
To get a more concrete idea on how Hexoskin works, can you explain for example how the Hexoskin Smart Shirt can detect when the wearer is sleeping?
PAF: It does it by detecting the heart rate and breathing rate, and with algorithms we were able to detect that the person was asleep.
What are the applications fields?
PAF: The Hexoskin system is used in cardiology, respiratory, CNS, diabetes, sleep disorder, mental disorders, performance, rehabilitation, physiological and psychological stress.
What are some other clothing and technology innovations you are excited about?
PAF: Everything that has a positive impact on the human’s health and helping follow the patients from home. Tele-monitoring innovations are the ones we are more excited about.
Which do you think will be the next big trends in innovative fabrics in the coming years?
PAF: In our sector of “connected health” the use of graphene as a conductor is the next big innovation. You could refer to this as a part of a big trend: the merge of synthetic product to conventional fiber, to doped the threads to enhance the performance of fabric and garments. From the work industry to children’s wear passing off course by the connected clothing industry.
Thank you!
P.S. We want to hear from you! What other uses do you think could the Hexoskin technology have? Would you use it? What other innovations are you excited about? Share your feedback, questions or thoughts in the comments below! For more articles on style, fashion tips and cultural insights, you can subscribe to Attire Club via e-mail or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!