Kiwis will soon get their own version of the Wearable Technologies picnic – a global event series designed to develop local eco-systems around the fast-growing industry.

The Auckland picnic, set for 29 August, is one of six to be held in other cities on the same day, including Sweden, Brazil, Germany, Taiwan and Denmark.

It will be hosted here by sensor system maker Stretchsense, whose stretch sensor modules allow measurement of human body motion in industries like animation, augmented reality, sport, healthcare and prosthetics.

Staff from Stretchsense have attended the US conference of Wearable Technologies Group, the creator of the picnic concept, for the past two years and were asked to be the New Zealand partner.

“This is a great opportunity for wearable tech organisations to have an informal get together to network and share ideas,” says Stretchsense sales and marketing manager Shin Park. She adds its thinking of making the event monthly and it could appeal to students, researchers, companies and anyone interested in wearable tech and more broadly in technology.

Among New Zealand’s wearable tech industry is smart textiles business Footfalls and Heartbeats, Auckland startup I Measure U and medical monitoring provider Vigil, alongside Stretchsense.

Stretchsense won the Emerging Innovator category at last year’s Innovators Awards, along with the prize for innovation in design and engineering.