Fitness Tracker | Evolving Consumer

Like a Guardian Angel

Guardian 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

May the Fitbit Force Be With You

It won’t give you Jedi (or Sith) powers, but the Fitbit Force is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to fitness trackers. This tracks your steps, distance you’ve traveled and of course calories you’ve burned. It also monitors the length of activity, the quality of sleep, as well floors climbed via an altimeter. There is a clock and stopwatch, and ability to sync all this data to a mobile phone via Bluetooth. The new Fitbit Force also makes it easy to read on an enhanced blue OLED screen.

Fitbit Force Official Website

Ready to Climax with ClimbAX

There are plenty of fitness monitors that can track heart rate and performance, but the ClimbAX is designed with climbers in mind. This system consists of two rubber-coated wristbands that contain an accelerometer, orientation sensor, altitude sensor, a NAND memory chip, and a 16-bit microprocessor.

This can help detect the orientation of the climber’s arms and track movement and even composure. The wearer can get information that is presented via four metrics that look at power, stability, control and speed. This can determine the strength that was used, the ability to transition between holds and even the total time it took during a climb.

Unlike many fitness trackers that provide real-time monitoring the idea with this one is for climbers to analyze their efforts after an ascent. Trying to look at one’s wrists while climbing wouldn’t be a good idea now would it?

ClimbAX Official Website

Track it to You

We’ve seen some smart looking socks, but the Sensoria Fitness Smart Socks are downright brilliant. These were developed by Washington-based Heapsylon and feature electronic magnetic anklet that tracks activity and communicates data to external devices such as a smart phone. The app meanwhile works as a virtual coach, whilst the activity tracker analyzes where runners land on their feet, how they stride, and can even help them reach their goals while lessening injuries.

The makers of the socks are looking to get off and running through and Indiegogo crowd-funding campaign – which as of this week they’ve already met. Apparently a lot of people think Smart Socks are a “smart” idea. Video after the jump

Trace Your Activity

The ActiveReplay Trace is not your run-of-the-mill fitness tracker. This new device is designed to help make action sports measurable, sharable and comparable. It is the first piece of technology that can correctly and automatically identify data and tricks as they are being performed by skaters, skiiers, snowboarders and surfers; while ActiveReplay’s Kickstarter campaign is aimed at helping to boost awareness of Trace and raise funds to continue its development.

With 9-axis sensors, advanced multi-Hz GPS, Bluetooth 4.0, and its own processor, Trace is a small device that measures a huge amount of events and tricks athletes perform in skiing, snowboarding, surfing and skating, and it allows athletes from all these disciplines to compare and share those metrics with leaderboards and networks via social media.

The pocket sized device offers more than seven hours of battery life and is durable, shockproof and waterproof. It consists of two parts: the data collection pod and the mount. Attaching and activating Trace is easy: The mount is attached to any hard surface like a board or helmet. Trace slides in the mount. The athlete pushes a button and begins their sport.

It can pair with a smartphone, and comes with three mobile apps including AlpineReplay (for ski and snowboard), SkateReplay (for skate) and SurfReplay (for surf). The apps are compatible with Android and iOS. Video after the jump

2013 CES: Fit to be Orb’d

Fitbug clearly had a great CES and introduced many new products, but it clearly saved the best for last as it introduced its first button-sized, Bluetooth Smart wireless device that is designed to track activity and sleep. The Fitbug Orb offers users seven wear options and even includes membership to the company’s online health and wellness support.

This wearable fitness monitor can track users’ activity and sleep patterns and send the data to Bluetooth Smart ready devices including iOS handsets and compatible Android devices such as the Samsung Galaxy SIII. It can track activity during the day and by interpreting the amount of body movement throughout the night, the tracker reveals how much deep sleep was achieved and points out any periods of wakefulness.

Fitbug Official Website

Strava’s Year in Review

Strava apparently had a very good year. The activity tracking system released some details on usage for 2012. According to the company Strava athletes rode and ran 500 million miles, or 85 percent of the length of Earth’s annual trip around the sun. Strava cyclists ascended over six million meters, equal to the entire peloton in the Tour de France climbing Alpe d’Huez 30,000 times!

Strava runners climbed over 226 million meters, which is on par with running the Speedgoat 50k course more than 67,000 times. Continue reading Strava’s Year in Review

Get a (Lark)Life

Everyone can use a little motivation to stay on the path and reach the goals. Sometimes that motivation can come from a life coach but now it can just as easily come from Larklife, a wearable fitness device that tracks users activities including exercise, diet and even sleep patterns. It features a vibrating alarm clock, sleep quality tracker, calorie counter, hydration tracker and of course offers fitness coaching tips.

Where this one differs from similar devices is that it syncs with an iOS app – Android app is a possibility down the road – and this can provide real-time feedback on your efforts. Continue reading Get a (Lark)Life