Cost-Benefit Comparison: Wearable Fitness Sensors

[Mike leroy]

I do not know what to make of EMG. I am constantly sore. If wearable tech actually prevents injury and soreness, I would buy it.

After watching some videos, I realize the world is changing at an accelerating rate. Bicycle sensors really pushed my imagination. Sensors are appearing in unimaginable products.

I would like virtual eBike demos or a Virtual Tour de France, like the Google Maps virtual treadmill.

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First encounter with Wearable Fitness Sensors. Resorting to familiar Cost-Benefit Google Sheet.
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(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)​

After rating features and associating features with benefits, we chart the benefits relative to each other in a "star plot":

• (Link Removed - No Longer Exists)​

CNet Best of CES 2015

 

[George S.]

The whole area of fitness monitors is probably the next 'big thing'. Apple and Samsung are doing stuff, but this is a lot more sophisticated. Apple may have scaled back the watch. It's tough to make a good heart monitor without the chest band, today. It has a lot of appeal. Lots of scams, Health and TellSpec...

 

[Mike leroy]

Some more videos.

Take a virtual walk or run anywhere in the world with Google Maps, is illustrated by the woman. Her segment is towards the end of the video.

I wonder if any company offers the same for stationary bikes? Companies like Giant and Felt certainly have the technical ability. I would like to try the Tour De France, which must be very difficult!

Wouldn't it be cool if you could demo eBikes from home or a store? Then i wouldn't have to spend endless hours estimating if an eBike can make it up my 18% hill!

 

[kmaster268]

I do not know what to make of EMG. I am constantly sore. If wearable tech actually prevents injury and soreness, I would buy it.

After watching some videos, I realize the world is changing at an accelerating rate. Bicycle sensors really pushed my imagination. Sensors are appearing in unimaginable products.

I would like virtual eBike demos or a Virtual Tour de France, like the Google Maps virtual treadmill.

​

First encounter with Wearable Fitness Sensors. Resorting to familiar Cost-Benefit Google Sheet.
​

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)​

After rating features and associating features with benefits, we chart the benefits relative to each other in a "star plot":

• (Link Removed - No Longer Exists)​

CNet Best of CES 2015

Thanks for the useful info

 

[Mike Smith]

Definitely the way of the future. Look for viable companies in which to invest, because this could be a huge market. Me, I just rely on my legs, heart, and lungs to tell me when I've had enough, but for the X-Gen crowd this will be readily accepted. Wish I could live for another 100 or more years to see how this all evolves. Oh well, I'm good until about 2045 if I'm lucky, probably not that long however, lol.

 

[Cameron Newland]

I bought a brand new LG G Watch (Android Wear) for $50 the other day just to try it out, and it's terrible as the battery only lasts about half a day. The only uses I've found for it so far are to control the music on my ebike while I'm riding it (I can leave my phone in the pocket) and to act as a Bluetooth Trusted Device so that I don't have to type in my phone password to unlock my phone when I'm within a few paces of my smartwatch. It comes with Google Fit for tracking my walking and running, but it doesn't have a cycling mode quite yet (it says it integrates with Strava and MapMyRide, but I've only found that it works with MapMyRun, which is an app that I don't use).

I've heard that the Apple Watch has a very accurate heart rate sensor. I'm waiting for the prices to come down on the next generation of Android Wear smartwatches that come out in 2016. Then I'll upgrade to a wearable that has a nifty heart rate sensor and (hopefully) better battery life, and hopefully for less than $100.

I also bought a XiaoMi Mi Band for $15 and my experience with it has been fantastic. It's a bare-bones fitness band with no screen and its battery lasts for more than a month on a single charge. I highly recommend it for people who run/walk or who want to track their sleep metrics, however, it's not too good for cyclists as it's not designed to track that kind of activity, nor does it have a heart-rate sensor.

 

[George S.]

I'm locked in to Android, but I think this is the correct, if long winded, analysis:

http://www.engadget.com/2015/05/13/apple-watch-buyers-remorse/

 

[J.R.]

I'm locked in to Android, but I think this is the correct, if long winded, analysis:

http://www.engadget.com/2015/05/13/apple-watch-buyers-remorse/

Having been an early adopter to a range of tech; 1981 PC's, 1989 cell ph, 1993 internet & www and on it went. Since 2006-08 I find myself regressing and keeping stuff a lot longer and doing with less. I'm still all about the tech (work etc...) for things that must be accomplished with tech, but want to make life simpler and less expensive. Even so I would like a small, wearable device to track health and fitness, but not to the tune of Apple. I'm an android (HTC) and don't want to enter the Apple garden again so the options @Cameron Newland notes intrigue me. Am I practical or just old?

 

[George S.]

It's hard to know what the goal is for these devices. The HR monitor is very valid because you can frame aerobic exercise in terms of heart rate. The Mayo Clinic has some great stuff on what people should aim for, in terms of 90 or 150 minutes a week, strenuous or moderate.

The thing with heart rate is you can buy something cheap like this:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Omron-HR-310-Heart-Rate-Monitor/17351107

It's clunky, but the one I had worked fine. After a couple of weeks you know what you have to do to get in the target zone, or you know whether you activity is solidly helping you out. Then you put it in the little case and set it behind other stuff, or in a drawer.

I have been taking my phone on all rides and using one of the apps that just saves the info to their site. It records time and mileage, the track, etc. Phones are now so cheap. That way if you know you are getting some level of fitness activity, you have the times. They generally organize the stuff by minutes/week at % of Max HR. Max HR = 220 - your age.

I think people get more fit on ebikes, but it is helpful to know what you have to do to get in fitness HR zones.