Your dream fitness tracker?

PowderPinkAlpaca
PowderPinkAlpaca Posts: 5
in Fitness and Exercise
At my course ( which deals with sensor applications) we were asked to develop a concept for some product.

So as a fan of fitbit...and tamagotchi, I decided to combine the two to make a fitness/health tracker that acts as a virtual pet.
The gist would be that, if you take care of yourself, you're virtual pet ( basically a mini you) will be happy and healthy too.
And it'd encourage you all the way ( e.g. If it "sees" you didnt sleep wel, it'd give relaxation tips etc.)

It'd come as a bracelet with a tiny screen on which you could see your pet and scroll through different types of data,
E.g. You could monitor your heartrate, steps/activity/exercise, body temperature, flights of stairs climbed, sleep, posture.... Even showers taken :p

But I find it very hard to gauge what people actually WANT to see in a fitness/health tracker,
So I was wondering, going by this idea...

What other features would you like to see? ( just pretend anything is possible :) )

And does the idea of a virtual pet appeal to you at all?

Replies

  • WilmaDennis91
    WilmaDennis91 Posts: 433 Member
    I really wanted Polar FT4! But I'm happy with my Sportline watch. Cheaper lol
  • PowderPinkAlpaca
    PowderPinkAlpaca Posts: 5
    I really wanted Polar FT4! But I'm happy with my Sportline watch. Cheaper lol

    What do you like about it?
  • cantfail
    cantfail Posts: 169 Member
    Being able to log calories burned in activities that don't involve running or cycling (like yoga or pilates). That would probably require an accurate HRM. Waterproof for swimming would be great. Don't care at all about the showering.
  • PowderPinkAlpaca
    PowderPinkAlpaca Posts: 5
    Being able to log calories burned in activities that don't involve running or cycling (like yoga or pilates). That would probably require an accurate HRM. Waterproof for swimming would be great. Don't care at all about the showering.

    Ah! Thats something I'd like too!
    Having it be waterproof, so I dont have to worry about taking it off, or start freaking out when it starts to rain.
    And tracking other activities...though implementing that would be tricky I think...
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    relatively certain i would choke that tamagotchi fitness tracker to death about 3 days in
    Being able to log calories burned in activities that don't involve running or cycling (like yoga or pilates). That would probably require an accurate HRM. Waterproof for swimming would be great. Don't care at all about the showering.

    this is pretty much what every activity tracker does. i think you're confusing a HRM with a tracker.
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
    Two VS models with clipboards? :flowerforyou:
  • daniellemm1
    daniellemm1 Posts: 465 Member
    Ideally I would love a HRM that I can wear on my wrist like my fitbit flex. I love the ease of this activity tracker but wish it had a HRM built in.
  • shmerek
    shmerek Posts: 963 Member
    I preordered one of these: http://atlaswearables.com during their indiegogo campaign. I am hoping it is everything they say it will be. It is supposed to tell what exercise you are doing and count reps and lots more.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    I would have loved that when I was 10
  • HerkMeOff
    HerkMeOff Posts: 1,002 Member
    I want one that counts calories with every bite.
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
    I am all for the gamification of my fitness goals. I find it very motivating to see the check marks on my Bodymedia app. I have actually walked into my boyfriend's house late at night and asked him to go for a walk with me before midnight just so I could get that check mark. Further gamifcation would definitely attract people like me, as long as it doesn't get too cheesy. Not so sure about virtual pets. That might be too cheesy for me. Rewards, whether tangible or merely digital, would be more enticing to me.

    Regardless, as far as the hardware, I would want a small screen so that I do not have to sync my band to see my progress. I would want the vibrate alarm feature of the Fitbit, and the HRM feature of the Vivofit, and the skin moisture/temp sensors of the Bodymedia, and a pedometer sensitive enough to tell the difference between typing and pushing a shopping cart. The ability to add peripherals such as a shoe pod would also be helpful. Above all, it would need to be accurate in counting steps and calories burned. Bodymedia is the most accurate of those I've tried (Fitbit Flex, Polar Loop, Garmin Vivofit all failed on accuracy).

    The Amiigo looks promising, in that it's supposed to be able to identify activities.
  • jaz050465
    jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
    I presume you are aware of the STRIIV Play.
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
    I presume you are aware of the STRIIV Play.

    I'm an Android girl. STRIIV is iPhone only. Also, if it's not a wearable (wrist, upper arm, etc.) I'll forget about it and wash it or lose it. A clip-on won't work for me. Also, I have regular Bluetooth, not 4.0.

    The Bodymedia is the most accurate tracker on the market at this time, although some new ones are coming out soon which may beat it. It uses regular Bluetooth, has apps on iPhone and Android, and it tracks sleep. The only things it doesn't track that some others do is stairs and distance...but it does track intensity, so it can tell the difference between walking and running, and it's one of the few wearables that can track steps while pushing a shopping cart or carrying something heavy.

    Regardless, the gamification comes from the app. Being able to earn achievements, points, badges, whatever, and somehow advance levels or get rewards, is what makes gadgets like these super interesting for people who enjoy games.

    Many others will want something much more straightforward and simple, with pure info and no games. That should be an option as well.

    I would love to see a tracker which has options for apps. My Zephyr heart rate monitor syncs with a bunch of different apps. Why shouldn't my tracker?
  • kenuk1
    kenuk1 Posts: 64 Member
    A wrist watch like the TomTom Cardio but with a WIFI connection or even a data card slot, would be something I would wear, this and MyFitnessPal/Runtastic combined app so that there's an all for one distance/diet tracker, all with a good battery and simple charge point, that way I can monitor my calories in and out.

    I have a HRM belt now which syncs with Runtastic which in turn syncs with MFP - but, battery life on the iPhone causes issues on long walks, so once that's gone, my logging is not accurate, it would be great if it was all in one app!

    I'm easy pleased, just put it all in a watch and give me it for freem my guess is the Pebble is on its way there to doing this.

    For me things that are pointless, sleep monitor, I don't need to know that I'm asleep, if I'm dead in my sleep, it would be nice to know that I'm not waking though. Also, steps, I see why some would want that, but, calories in and out based on excercise type and heart rate must be the way forward?

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