WearTech Labs (WTL)

Simon Fraser University, Surrey, British Columbia
What the facility does

Advanced core facility dedicated to the invention, research and development, and human user testing of wearable technologies.

Areas of expertise

WearTech Labs (WTL) is Simon Fraser University’s advanced core facility dedicated to the invention, research and development, and human user testing of wearable technologies. Its work extends far beyond smartwatches and fitness trackers—covering exoskeletons, prosthetics, smart textiles, ear-worn devices, footwear, technical clothing, and more. WTL’s overarching mission is to advance technologies that enhance daily life by harnessing human physiology.

WTL’s offers SMEs and enterprise partners a unique advantage: access to the entire prototyping-testing pipeline within a single integrated ecosystem. This end-to-end approach—from concept development through to real-world validation—removes the need to coordinate multiple vendors, enabling companies to reduce costs and bring products to market faster.

WTL comprises seven specialized laboratories located across three sites, collectively supporting device design, fabrication, characterization and testing under diverse environmental and physiological conditions. These include the Ideation Lab; the Human Performance Lab; the Rehabilitation Lab; the Smart Textile Lab; the Characterization Lab; the Rapid Prototyping Lab; and the Environmental Physiology Lab.

Research services
  • Advanced prototyping
  • Human testing
  • Device characterization
  • Machine learning and analytics
Sectors of application
  • Consumer durables
  • Life sciences, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment
  • Manufacturing and processing
  • Advanced Prototyping Lab (additive manufacturing): 3D printers using various print technologies, including Bound Metal Deposition (BMD), Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) with continuous fiber reinforcement, PolyJet, stereolithography (SLA) / low-force stereolithography (LFS), Aerosol Jet Printing (AJP), and Direct Ink Write (DIW).
  • Advanced Prototyping Lab (digital fabrication and hybrid prototyping): CNC machining; 3D scanners to capture objects of various sizes; pick‑and‑place equipment; soldering station; laser cutter (sealed CO₂ glass tube, water‑cooled).
  • Advanced Prototyping Lab (smart textile design and fabrication): SHIMA SEIKI Apex4 Design System and digital knitting machine using SlideNeedle technology for precise, high-quality garment fabrication; sewing machines, yarn manipulation machine, linking machines, embroidery machine, seam welding machine using dual thermowelding technology.
  • Human Testing Lab (human performance and biomechanics assessment): Bertec treadmill and force plates for high‑speed gait, biomechanics analysis, and research‑grade ground‑reaction force measurement; Vicon 10‑camera motion‑capture system for high‑precision 3D kinematic tracking; 3D motion capture system for multimodal sensor integration and real‑time biofeedback (The Motion Monitor); Speedgoat hardware‑in‑the‑loop (HIL) system for real‑time simulation and rapid control prototyping; COSMED K5 wearable metabolic system for portable breath‑by‑breath gas‑exchange analysis; electromyography (EMG) systems with integrated inertial measurement units (IMUs) for multi‑channel muscle and motion assessment, and electrophysiology recording; Kinarm robotic assessment system for precise neuromotor evaluation and sensorimotor control studies
  • Device Characterization Lab (materials, electrical, and imaging analysis): Precision electrical characterization tools including an IET ultra‑precision LCR meter and high‑voltage insulation/megohm tester; digital multimeter for high‑accuracy voltage, current, and resistance measurement; Instron ElectroPuls E1000 and E10000 systems for dynamic and static mechanical testing; rheometer for highly sensitive rheological analysis; Microtrac TURBISCAN TRILAB for non‑invasive formulation stability testing; ThermoFisher Scientific Phenom XL G2 Desktop Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) with automated imaging and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) options; sputter coaters for conductive sample preparation; thermal imager for wide‑range temperature mapping; SDL Atlas Fabric Touch Tester (FTT) for textile mechanical evaluation; and VacuMed metabolic calibrator/simulator for precise gas‑exchange system calibration.
  • Machine Learning & Analytics Lab (computational modelling and data analysis): Dedicated GPU server equipped with dual NVIDIA L40S GPUs for training small machine‑learning (ML) models; ML desktop workstations for rapid prototyping and algorithm development; access to SFU’s Cedar supercomputer for large‑scale model training, high‑performance computing, and advanced simulations.
  • Hettas
  • Medtronic
  • Human In Motion Robotics
  • lululemon athletica Inc.
  • Bionic Power Inc.
  • Samsung