Kymira

Kymira, founded in 2013 by Tim Brownstone, is a UK-based smart textile company operating at the intersection of sportswear and medical technology. The venture originated from Brownstone's experience as an injured junior athlete and his academic research at the University of Reading, where he explored NASA's findings on infrared light to find a way to accelerate rehabilitation. Initially conceived as a university side project to fund clinical validation of its core technology, the company was established to commercialize and validate medical technologies within the less-regulated sportswear market, with profits reinvested into further medical research.

The company's business model centers on two main product lines: passive, bio-responsive apparel and active, e-textile garments. The direct-to-consumer sportswear brand, KYMIRA Sport, serves as the primary revenue generator through the sale of high-performance apparel to athletes and fitness enthusiasts. The core technology in its passive range, KYnergy™, embeds ceramic particles into fabric that capture the wearer's body heat and convert it into Far Infrared Radiation (FIR). This energy penetrates deep into the muscle tissue, which is claimed to increase circulation, tissue oxygenation, and cellular energy production, thereby enhancing performance, accelerating recovery, and reducing muscle soreness. This product line includes a wide array of apparel such as leggings, tops, socks, and tracksuits, categorized into 'Charge' for performance and 'Recharge' for recovery.

Beyond the consumer market, Kymira is advancing into the medical and elite sports sectors with its 'active' e-textile platforms. Since 2016, the company has been developing smart garments with integrated sensors for biomonitoring, capable of tracking metrics like ECG and movement data. These washable and durable garments are designed for continuous, non-invasive data collection, which can be transmitted to a cloud-based system for analysis, offering applications in preventative healthcare and elite athlete performance monitoring. The company collaborates with institutions like the European Space Agency, NHS Trusts, and professional sports teams, including those in the Premier League and NFL, to validate and develop its technologies. This B2B approach aims to provide physiological data and insights to clinicians, researchers, and sports scientists.

Keywords: smart textiles, infrared clothing, wearable technology, sports technology, performance apparel, athletic recovery, e-textiles, biomonitoring, smart garments, medical textiles, injury rehabilitation, Far Infrared Radiation, sportswear, Tim Brownstone, KYMIRA Sport, athlete performance tracking, KYnergy, smart fabrics, sports science, connected apparel, health monitoring, remote patient monitoring, physiological data