Tag: activity tracker

Categories
Fitness Wearables

LEO helps you get a leg up on your workout regime

The Premise. The only people who don’t tell themselves in the backs of their heads every day that they should be working out more are the people who are already gym rats. Of course, while the concept of exercise is all well and good, all those who are planning another attempt at their failed New Year’s resolution this year can still seriously hurt themselves if they don’t know what they’re doing.

The Product. LEO is a piece of wearable smart tech in the form of a flexible leg band. The device monitors all kinds of data from heart rate, motion sensing, and even hydration and muscle activity. If LEO detects that it’s time for a break, a drink, or an adjustment to form, it notifies the user in easy to understand language. LEO can help keep exercise and the body at peak levels, and even call for an outright break if things get too far gone.

The Pitch. The pitch video for LEO stresses the simplicity of use and guidance that the device provides, and that’s good because it’s what makes this device so helpful. LEO is sold as an intuitive, automatic workout guide, and that’s what separates it from everything else. The designers need $50,000 for tooling and manufacturing with stretch goals for color options, haptic feedback, and a soccer-focused app to help train World Cup stars of tomorrow.

The Perks. The LEO LegBand is expected to be out in April of next year, and can be picked up along with the app and access to the device’s shared server for $184. Beta tests will begin in September 2014 and supporters can sign up for the early release for $599. Developers can also get into the beta as well as access the API and SDK for $2,999 in December.

The Potential. LEO is a great idea for people who want to get in shape without becoming a professional at one specific activity. Devices like Moov have shown off much more specific, detailed data output from an activity tracker which is great for athletes in training. LEO on the other hand is out to basically keep people from hurting themselves or taking it too easy on the path to fitness, and that’s a great, useful thing to have. It would be nice to see LEO sensors that can go in places besides the thigh just for those that might prefer to keep their trackers elsewhere, but that may be a development that comes later in LEO’s race to the top of the hill of fitness tracking devices.

 

Categories
Relaxation Wearables

Spire provides a take on stress reduction to let you breathe easier

The Premise. Activity trackers are popular for good reason, evolving far beyond the original concept of a smart pedometer. From physical activity to heart rate, these wearable devices can seemingly track whatever anyone might need. Now, there’s one to keep track of breathing as well.

The Product. Spire is a tiny tracker that can be clipped onto any piece of tight fitting clothing and monitors breathing in order to make an assessment about a person’s state of mind. From anxiety to extreme focus, each emotion comes with its own breathing patterns, which Spire can identify and send alerts to a phone to keep the wearer calm and collected. Additionally, Spire can track time spent sitting, standing, lying down, or walking, providing additional balance to daily life. Spire also charges wirelessly with its own charging pad or any Qi charging pad.

The Pitch. The introductory video for Spire is empowering, artistic, and strongly filmed, while also managing to say almost nothing about the product itself. Aside from a few screenshots of the app and a glimpse of the device’s clip tucked into a waistband, it’s hard to determine what the device does or how it’s used. The website makes up for this by offering an exhaustive FAQ section that covers everything from what the device does to where the name “Spire” comes from. The website is otherwise what backers have come to expect from a proprietary pre-order site, with big full-size graphics that are fixed to the background.

The Perks. Spire is available for $119, comes with a charging pad for the device, and ships in September.

The Potential. Spire is a great concept, especially for people who suffer from respiratory problems or anxiety and aren’t accustomed to breathing normally in certain situations. Unfortunately, the device feels a little one-note in terms of its function and cost, and so it’s hard to see consumers opting for this over other wearable activity trackers. Whether Spire rolls more functionality into their device or a similar breath tracker appears as a feature in a different tracker, a more complete package needs to be made available to make these functions worth wearing every day, everywhere. Add to this the fact the device is currently only supported on iOS devices (Android compatibility is being worked on), and Spire seems like a niche product carved into an even smaller niche.

Categories
Smartwatches/Bands

Gravity’s modular design makes it the wearable tech that can handle almost anything

gravitySmart watches and other wearable devices are great, but as more come out, people are more likely to look like a back-alley watch salesman than a modern, connected user. Gravity seeks to solve this problem by being the first modular smart bracelet. With 14 wearable and six external modules, Gravity can be customized to suit any user, or any application – monitoring everything from blood alcohol to the TV listings. The finished product is sleeker and more stylish than the human personal assistant in the campaign video, but both appear to be pretty handy at anticipating any needs. The base Gravity band comes complete with three modules that can be chosen to suit each backer, and is available for $99 to ship in February 2015.

Categories
Health and Wellness Safety

LifeKeeper learns how to protect your heart from episodes

lifekeeperCardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the world with over 13 million cases each year. People know how to engage in heart-smart diets and behaviors, but sometimes that isn’t enough to protect oneself from a cardiac episode. The LifeKeeper is more than just a heart rate monitor, sending vitals to a user’s smartphone and assessing the data to determine if there are any health risks at that present time. LifeKeeper collects data through questions, activity tracking, sleep analysis, and creates a profile which can be viewed or that will trigger an alert in a potentially health-hazardous scenario. A LifeKeeper can be had with a pledge of $199, complete with sensors and the app, arriving in December 2014.

Categories
Fitness Wearables

SmartMove monitors all activity from the ground up

smartmoveOne of the main issues with the latest trend of activity trackers is that users just might not have them on at all times. Everybody knows that they need to stay active to be healthy, but how active is active enough? SmartMove is a new kind of activity tracker that monitors all movement and exercise because its sensor is embedded in an insole for a shoe similar to the original Nike+ sensor that started the activity tracking renaissance, SmartMove can tell when a user is sitting or standing, and tracks movement and activity data to report fitness habits to its own proprietary app. Available for $99, SmartMove will keep users moving as soon as August 2014.

Categories
Connected Objects Pets

Best Fit Friend puts more woof in your workout

The Premise. Humans and canines are alike in that we all need regular exercise. Unfortunately, today the majority of people as well as their beloved pets are not getting the amount of exercise recommended for a healthy, active lifestyle. Having a partner in exercise can make things a bit easier, but people can sometimes be unreliable.

The Product. MyFitDog is a heath and fitness company that has created a way for dog owners to get fit alongside their furry friends. The Best Fit Friend (BFF) is a pair of Bluetooth-enabled activity monitors worn like a wristwatch on the owner, with the other clipped to the dog’s collar. Using the MyFitDog app on your Android or iOS smartphone, you may track the amount and intensity of your movement and even compare data, set goals, and interact with other Best Fit Friend owners.

The Pitch. Tianyi Joe Zhu, the founder and CEO of MyFitDog, is featured in a goofball video that includes commentary from his (presumed) dog Cooper. Between the schtick that runs a bit too long, Zhu explains the consequences of dogs not getting enough exercise, which include more trips to the vet’s office and possibly an early demise. He also explains how frustrating it can be for the average person trying to get fit via crazy fad diets and intense exercise programs that are impossible to keep up with.

He concludes that the only logical way to really make a change in your (and your dog’s) daily habits is to embark (sorry, pun intended) on the journey together with Best Fit Friend. Scrolling through the page you will see images of the different components of Best Fit Friend, screen shots of the MyFitDog app and more commercials for Best Fit Friend done by the funny “Hollywood team.” If the initial product video didn’t introduce enough of Tianyi’s personality, click the Vimeo link to one of his previous pitches. The project goal is $30,000 total.

The Perks. For $99 you receive a set of Best Fit Friend devices (one for the owner, the other for the dog). For an additional $49 ($148 total) you may receive an extra device for either an additional owner or additional dog. One generous backer willing to donate $5,000 will receive a full Best Fit Friend set, an additional device, and will even have the opportunity to star in the next MyFitDog commercial.  The final product is expected to retail for between $100 and $120 with estimated shipping in May 2014.

The Potential. Best Fit Friend will be tasked with drumming up supporters who need to be motivated enough to start a fitness plan for themselves and their pets. While tracking the intensity and amount of exercise is a solid way to measure exercise, it seems challenging to set a pace which would achieve goal rates of intensity for both you and your pup simultaneously. Still, it addresses a common problem that many Americans and their dogs face today – how to stay motivated to incorporate exercise into a daily routine. While Voyce is aiming at a more comprehensive set doggie data for you to analyze, Whistle is another activity monitor and (iOS-only for now) app for dogs (not people) which is available today for about $130.