Young engineer develops weights to wear

As a child, Patrick Whaley was so skinny, he carried extra books in his bag to build up muscle.

He came to realize that if his own clothing could weigh more, that would also help him bulk up. That's how he invented a clothing line called Omega Wear, which incorporates hydro-gel weights, strategically placed over major muscle groups.  The extra weight helps raise the number of calories you burn and improve muscle endurance - read more from Georgia Tech.

This apparel won Whaley, a Georgia Institute of Technology engineering student, the $20,000 first prize at an invention contest by the university in May, and a free U.S. patent.

Whaley nearly lost his dream in 2009, when he was shot in the chest during an armed robbery.  The bullet missed his heart by one compression, he said, and left him with only two-thirds of his lung.

The weighted shirt turned out to be instrumental in his rehabilitation.  His own success of getting back in shape with the shirt made him realize that it could also be useful for patients who need physical therapy.

“As soon as I was able to get into my shirt, and use my own shirt for my workouts, that was one of the proudest days of my life,” he said.

Today, he’s had thousands of shirts pre-ordered. He plans to get it mass-produced at get it to market by next spring.

Source: http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/07/16/young-engineer-develops-weights-to-wear/