One of the drawbacks of adding a heart rate monitor, cycling computer and other devices to your workout is that you have to take your focus from the road ahead. With a heart rate monitor, you have to look at the watch for heart rate, calories and time. A separate cycling computer requires you to look at the screen by your handlebars to find out your speed, cadence and other measures.
(Video after the jump)
httpv://youtu.be/Nzi27Lgfmfc
A heads-up display device from 4iiii Innovations aims right at line of sight with its SPORTiiiis. The SPORTiiiis is a compact unit that attaches to your sunglasses to offer visible and audible cues to your workout progress.
The device attaches to the arm of a pair of sunglasses with a boom-like form factor. This has a speaker that sits near the ear, and a boom or wand that runs just above the cheekbone under your right eye. The boom has a series of LED lights that let you know when you’re in range with your heart rate and other measurements. While the lights offer a range, tap on the unit’s side and an audible reading of your progress, say heart rate or speed, will give you a specific number.
A series of lights on the boom run in sequence of red, orange, yellow, green, yellow, orange, red. Before riding you program ranges using your computer. So if your target heart rate zone is between 145 and 155 BPM, the center green light will slowly blink. Go below the target range and the corresponding light to the left will slowly blink. Go above the target range and the lights to the right will slowly blink. Each light is assigned a range, so if your heart rate is between 165 and 175, the orange light lets you know you’re roughly 20 BPM higher than your range. Double tap the side of the unit to switch to another reading, say cadence or speed.
The device works with ANT+ devices to get readings. This includes several models of heart rate monitors, cycling computers, pods that go in shoes to measure pace for runners, and other devices.
SPORTiiiis lets you view progress of your workout without taking your eyes off the road in front of you. This is important in cycling, but also in other sports, where the action is fast and looking down at a computer display on your wrist or handlebars means not seeing oncoming traffic, road surface and other oncoming objects. It’s up to the user to determine whether the LED lights will distract, or perform better than viewing progress on a screen. SPORTiiiis devices start at $199, depending on the model.