Stryd – Backerjack

SenseON exercise monitor sticks by your side for better data

The glut of fitness trackers on the market and being peddled on various crowdfunding websites either wrap around the wrist or chest. Unfortunately, bands need to be very still to be effective; chest strap monitors are more accurate but they can chafe, retain odor, need battery replacements, and can be simply uncomfortable.

The team at CardioCycle is looking to fund its solution: the SenseON. The heart rate/breathing monitor attaches to the torso rather than the wrist or the chest for greater accuracy and claims of clinical accuracy. The .4 ounce SenseON is made of silicon and as such is flexible enough to flex with a body’s movements, important so that the three electrodes it has always maintain contact.

Stryd makes strides in measuring workout intensity

Most wearable fitness devices do a good job of measuring heart rate, pace and several other metrics. But they typically fail to gauge an extremely important metric for runners: workout intensity.

Stryd was designed to accurately measure running power and efficiency while also offering most of the typical features that other fitness wearables and smartwatches provide. Stryd is a small clip-on device that users can attach to a piece of clothing during a workout. The device tracks data and uses Bluetooth Smart technology to subsequently connect with a wide variety of devices, including sports watches, smartphones (Android and iOS), tablets, and even computers. Notably, the device uses patent-pending sensing technologies developed by Princeton engineers. Each unit costs $149 and will ship in September. Its maker set a Kickstarter goal of reaching $50,000 by April 12.

Stryd holds a lot of promise for fitness enthusiasts, but there are far too many players in the fitness wearables market, including Tracky, to declare Stryd a sure thing.