Air(o) on the Wrist

AIROAiro Health has released its AIRO, a next-generation health-monitoring device that can be worn as a sleek wristband to automatically monitor nutrition, stress, exercise and sleep. It can also analyze caloric consumption, stress patterns, daily exertion and sleep quality to help wearers obtain better overall health.

It can monitor nutrition by looking at different wavelengths of light to look into the blood stream and detect metabolites as they are released while and after a user eats; while it also measure calorie intake and determines the quality of meals consumed. From here it can provide recommendations on how to improve one’s diet.

On the stress end AIRO utilizes heart rate variability (HRV) to monitor micro-fluctuations in stress throughout the day, and can notifies users when their stress level is on the rise. It can work like other sleep monitors as well, as it looks at the autonomic nervous system to notice distinct sleep cycles; and from here can recognize when the body is in deep sleep, light sleep or REM sleep and can calculate how much of a user’s night was restorative.

As an exercise tracker the AIRO monitors daily exertion through heart rate and caloric burn, and from here it uses these metrics to detect how intense the activity has been, and even checks to see how the body has recovered from activity over the course of the following days. Video after the jump

There is an App For That – But Beware

AvalancheThe Canadian Avalanche Centre has warned backcountry users not to rely on smartphone apps. These, were are marketed as “transceivers” can give users a “false sense of protection” warned the agency.

The CAC found a number of issues with the technology, including compatibility and frequency range. According to the CAC all avalanche transceivers should conform to the international standard of 457 kHz, so that regardless of brand these can be used to search and find one another.

“Not only are these new apps incapable of connecting with other avalanche transceivers, they are also incompatible between themselves, so one type of app can’t find another,” explained CAC Executive Director Gilles Valade.

The 457 kHz standard was chosen because it transmits very well through dense snow, is not deflected by objects such as trees and rocks, and is accurate. However, according to the CAC the apps don’t come close to this standard, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are both significantly weakened when trying to pass through snow.

“We are warning all backcountry users to not use any of these apps in place of an avalanche transceiver,” added Valade.

Canadian Avalanche Centre Official Website

GoBe Brings the Light

GoBeThe GoBe light from Light & Motion could be the “go to” light for all your outdoor needs. This factory sealed rechargeable flashlight can be used up to 120 meters underwater, but will also shine the way on the hiking or biking trail.

It features interchangeable light heads that allow users to choose the best light for their activity, whether it’s white, red, blue, flood or spot. The GoBe also combines the design features of Light & Motion’s popular Sola scuba dive lights with the size and convenience of the company’s commuter bike lights.

There are six activity-specific base models, with the GoBe featuring a 500-lumen Spot Beam, a 500-lumen Search Beam, a 500-lumen NightSea Beam or in a special Pink Body with 500-lumen Spot Beam light-head edition. The GoBe+ also offers a 700-lumen Wide Beam or Spot Beam light head.

The light weighs just 160 grams and comes with underwater photography mounts as well as a versatile handlebar mount. It also includes a battery life indicator, and it can be charged with USB cable. The GoBe offers three power levels, SOS mode, and can run up to 24 hours on a single charge.

Users can customize the light according to their use with interchangeable light heads, sold separately. The GoBe will begin shipping this month.

Light & Motion GoBe Official Website

Garmin Gets Tactical

tactix

When we think of tactical gear we think of something the military might use, but Garmin’s tactical GPS navigator watch is a piece of tactical gear for the rest of us. The Tactix features high-sensitivity GPS positioning with automatic calibrating altimeter, barometer and 3-axis compass, as well as negative mode LCD display with green LED. It features TracBack reverse mapping that can help get you back to your starting point.

For those who need waypoints to find the way, this one allows up to 1,000 waypoints along to 10,000 track points to be stored. Forget bread crumbs, with this on your wrist you’ll never get lost again.

Garmin Tactix Official Website

Like a Guardian Angel

AngelGuardian angels supposedly watch over us, but while these heaven sent angels might help guide the way they don’t actually monitor our fitness so much. That is where the open source sensor from Israel comes in. The Angel is designed to help monitor fitness and much more. It can track pulse, temperature, activity and even blood oxygen levels.

It can send this data to a smartphone or laptop and even fitness equipment. It features an open API so it can be a workout tracker, fertility calendar, sleep monitor and even a tele-nanny. This wearable fitness device could also be used as a golf trainer to monitor strokes while watching for irregular heart rate that could lead to a stroke!

The developers have already reached their Indiegogo funding goals and now look to deliver the Angel in April of next year. Video after the jump

Microsoft Kinect Used to Help Visually Impaired Do Yoga

YogaWhat is the woman in the photo above doing wrong? To those of us that don’t do yoga it looks like a typical yoga pose, but this is actually the incorrect Warrior II pose. For those who are visually impaired it might be hard to follow to visual cues when doing yoga. Now researchers at the University of Washington have developed a program, dubbed the Eyes-Free Yoga, which utilizes the Microsoft Kinect software to track body movements and provide auditory cues in real time for six popular yoga poses.

“My hope for this technology is for people who are blind or low-vision to be able to try it out, and help give a basic understanding of yoga in a more comfortable setting,” said project lead Kyle Rector, a UW doctoral student in computer science and engineering. Continue reading Microsoft Kinect Used to Help Visually Impaired Do Yoga

Bianchi Ready for Time Trial

BianchiItalian bike maker Bianchi has endured the test of time, and now is looking to bring time keeping to the wrist with a new line of watches. These Swiss-made watches are part of the new “Barcelona 1973” line, named for Felice Gimondi’s victory on a Bianchi bike at the UCI World Championships 30 years ago.

The line, which includes three different models, will be available from the bike maker beginning next month. These will each feature Bianchi’s famous celeste color. These won’t track heart rate, calories or distance but they’ll look stylish on and off the bike.

Bianchi Store Official Website

Airwave Hello to Winter

AirwaveWinter is on the way and for those who love the snow sports the Oakley Airwave 1.5 might be the way to wave hello to another season on the slopes. These snow sport goggles don’t just block the wind and snow, but features a heads-up display with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS integration. It can allow wearers to monitor speed and distance, note temperature and even control the music.

Say hello to winter with an Airwave!

Oakley Airwave 1.5 Official Website

Garmin Approaches the Green

Garmin-ApproachGarmin might not help you get on the green but the Garmin Approach S4 GPS Golf Watch will help you find your way on the course. It is loaded with a database of more than 30,000 golf courses, plus this watch can stream notifications from a mobile phone via Bluetooth. This way the phone can remain in the bag and you can concentrate on your approach. Press Release after the jump

See and Sense

See-SenseThe See Sense doesn’t just provide a light so you can be seen, this intelligent bike can determine the conditions around the rider and flash brighter and faster to improve visibility. Philip McAleese of Belfast has designed this sensible light and is now looking to Kickstarter to raise awareness and funds. That all makes sense to us! Video after the jump

Knog it Up

KnogWhen it comes to bike lights there is bright and then there is Knog bright, and the Blinder 3 promise to be the model yet form the brand. The Kong Blinder 3 features an anodized aluminum face with two detachable silicone straps and a stainless steel clasp, which allow for tool-less mounting on handlebars measuring 22-28mm or 29-35mm. It produces 300 lumens of light abd weighs 105 grams, is waterproof and USB-rechargeable.

The Knog Bliner 3 headlights, which utilizes two high-intensity XB-D Cree LEDs that can shine with a 22 degree wide-angle beam, a 15 degree narrow beam or a dual 22/15 beam. It will turn an urban ride home into a night with bright lights, big city!

Knog Official Website

Wahoo Takes Strava Routes to Trainers

WahooWinter is on the way and for those who will hit the stationary bikes soon that means riding in place, but now Wahoo Fitness will offer riders the chance to duplicate Strava segments on the KICKR stationary trainers. The Strava segments are section of real roads that riders can compete on via the Strava website and app along with a GPS device.

The app controls resistance on the KICKR to match the grade of the climbs and descents in each Strava segment. The KICKR is a rear-wheel-off trainer with a large flywheel to simulate real world riding conditions. Power is even measured at the rear hub.

There are nearly three million segments worldwide so that should really let riders mix it up this winter.

Wahoo Apps Official Website

Rock Out With the Rock Out 2

Rock-Out-2-RuggedGoal Zero has scored again with the Rock Out 2 portable speaker that is designed for outdoor activity. It connects to virtually any portable music device via an auxiliary cable that connects to the headphone jack and brings music to the great outdoors thanks to its innovative chamber and DarkBass technology that combine to deliver high-quality sound.

This fall the Rock Out 2 even arrives with a Realtree camo pattern.

The Rock Out 2 features an internal Lithium-ion battery that delivers up to 20 hours or playback without draining the connected device’s battery. Rock Out 2 recharges in just 2 hours via USB or 3 hours from the sun with a Goal Zero Nomad 7 Solar Panel. Video after the jump