Zoi – Backerjack

GoMore Stamina Sensor will help you run in record time

Making the right decisions while running — when to slow down, when to speed up — is absolutely crucial to getting an efficient workout in. Such subtle decisions can be the difference between prematurely finishing a run or exceeding a previous record. Even seasoned runners have a difficult time making such decisions.

A solution to this problem comes in the way of the GoMore Stamina Sensor. The GoMore is wearable that wraps around the chest, acting like a fuel gauge for the body so that runners can visualize their stamina as a number. Using electrodes positioned on the wearable, the sensor helps runners make speed det%rminations via real-time vibrations. Additionally, the sensor helps runners understand their theoretical limits after a completed run. Naturally, the product can also log and save running history through a companion iOS or Android app. The GoMore’s patented algorithm finds the relationship between heart rate, lactate build up, and energy burn to make all of this happen, giving runners the right kind of information they need to go even further. $120 gets backers a GoMore Stamina Sensor with an expected ship date of May 2015. The campaign is looking to raise $100,000 by April 11.

The closest product to something like the GoMore is the Zoi, which urges runners on with very specific feedback about variables like pronation and ground contact time. The GoMore’s heavy focus on stamina makes it unique in the wearables segment, something that is increasingly more difficult with every new wearable on the market. Runners of every skill level will surely be interested.

From the neon-colored, spandex laced marathoners to those simply seeking to keep fit, poor technique is the main cause of running injuries. Avoiding these injuries while working towards a stride and pace that is challenging yet suitable for the body takes consistent feedback and patient coaching. Unfortunately, employing a coach can be cost prohibitive, running apps only telling you how much you run, and technical gait analyses only give you a snapshot of your technique for too much money.

Runteq is positioning their biometric running system, Zoi, as your personal coach. Comprising of a chest and foot sensor, runners can enjoy vocal feedback with the included wireless earbuds about very specific aspects of their technique, all in real time. Feedback takes the form of cheering and gentle encouragement advising you on things like pronation, ground contact time, and overall body motion, all of which can be used to create shareable personal training plans for review on the Zoi smartphone app. There a number of perks available, each offering Zoi for discounted prices ranging from €69 to €119, all contributing to the company’s funding goal of €50,000.

Another company has taken a stab at the same issue of runner education with runScribe, a pedometer sized device that attaches to your foot. Compared to Zoi, though, it has a much narrower focus — limited to collecting information that’s manually uploaded rather than actively feeding it back to the user.

Zoi is coming along at a time where interest in wearable tech is at an all-time high, but where the expectations at what they can do are similarly high. Applications and wearables are saturated with heart rate and blood pressure monitors which provide disjointed information, so Zoi pushes the envelope with their novel, smart feedback system. While the MSRP may be a bit pricey at €149, it will surely come out cheaper than other, more expensive alternatives.