Having a device that can accurately measure one’s body fat can go a long way towards achieving fitness goals.
Skulpt Chisel is a device about the size of a typical smartphone that has 12 sensors on its back that can be used to measure 24 body muscles just by pressing it up against those muscles. It sends a tiny current past the subcutaneous fat and through the muscle fibers, picking up thousands of data points per second, according to its Indiegogo campaign. The technology then evaluates the flow of that current to accurately measure the fat percentage per muscle, and rate that muscle’s fitness.
It works in conjunction with a mobile app for iPhone 5 and newer iPhones, as well as Android phones with OS 4.3 or later. The device ships in March at $149, although early bird backers can get one now for $99. Its makers are hoping to raise $100,000 by Dec. 10.
Skulpt Chisel holds appeal for a potentially large audience as long as it’s as accurate as its campaign claims. Some consumers, however, may no doubt wish that its makers could have come up with a way to pack the same capabilities into the smartphone app itself so they won’t have to carry an extra device with them to the gym. Another potential downside is that it’s only water resistant, not waterproof. Still, it’s a worthwhile complement to many of the other fitness trackers out there that can only approximate body fat percentage.