Ralph Lauren is Testing Their First Wearable Technology on US Open Ball Boys

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Complex Original

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Being a US Open ball-boy really has it's perks these days.

With the final Grand Slam of the year underway, the top tennis player's in the world aren't the only ones on the courts of Arthur Ashe Stadium who are getting the golden treatment. A few select ball-boys at this year's tournament will wear Ralph Lauren Polo Tech shirts, featuring biometric tracking capabilities to give real time data on their performance.

The shirts are the latest in the boom of wearable technologies which is breaking it's way into sports all around the world. Owners, coaches, and players are all looking for ways to improve their game and the use of wearable technologies is the wave of the future for this information. The Ralph Lauren Polo Tech shirt is a compression under shirt that features conductive threads woven into it, and a small snap-on module relays information to a Bluetooth-connected iPhone or iPad.

The shirt's aren't the only hook-up the US Open ball-boys and girls are getting, as earlier this week we saw some of them laced up in exclusive Polo RL x New Balance shoes. Apparently the tech shirt's are working, as one ball girl performed possibly the best play of the Open so far yesterday with her Griffey-esque grab of a plastic bag.

None of the player's will wear the shirts during their matches, as most wearable technologies have not been approved by the USTA, but as long as it provides helpful information without giving an unfair advantage, expect to see the shirts on your favorite player in the very near future.

[Yahoo]

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