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 Controlled by a mobile app and able to run for around three hours
after a USB charge, 'Aira' uses air pressure devices inside the
jacket which expand to target pressure points and produce the
sensation of a massage.
Lin Wei Liang, the CEO of designers TWare, said the jacket was a
practical office aid for people who had developed posture problems
from sitting at a desk for lengthy periods or spent too long hunched
over a mobile device.
"What we have here is much more invisible, discreet, something that
you can wear just like a normal hoodie or jacket, and yet you can
get that massage without people noticing," he told Reuters.
Lin said his company was in the process of securing a patent for the
jacket, which retails at $119 and has been developed with more than
$75,000 of funds raised using crowdfunding website, Kickstarter.
However, not everyone is convinced.
Physiotherapist Michelle Tong agreed it could be used to de-stress
but was unsure about its ability to treat pain.
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"You question whether the person would develop a tolerance to it,"
she told Reuters.
"Each time they're using it, they end up having to apply a high
pressure each time, just to get the same effect, as you would if you
were taking painkillers for the long-term."
(Writing by Patrick Johnston in Singapore. Editing by Nick Macfie)
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