Naked Labs is unveiling what it calls the world’s first 3D Fitness Tracker. It scans your entire body using a mirror and a scale, capturing your weight and the outline of your body. It then uses that information to calculate your percentage body fat, and it shows you if those trips you’re making to the gym are paying off — even if you aren’t losing weight.
In yet another case of nerdy high school math experts proving indispensable to the jocks later in life, consider this from Harry Zettel, VP of business development for Healthpro.com:
“A lot of physically fit people go into the personal training business, or even beyond, opening their own gyms, yoga studios, and the like, but many of them have no training in how to administer a business – and thus find themselves losing money, unable to collect fees or keep their businesses solvent.”
That’s where Healthpro comes in – providing a payment platform specifically geared to independent fitness and alternative health entrepreneurs, of which, he said, there are over a million of in the US alone.
The funds from the round will help LifeBeam further develop its “awareable” products, which promise users the “most personalized and insight-driven workout experience.”
With the fields of fitness, sports, and wellness becoming more quantified and digital, traditional athletic brands are rethinking their business models and products in order to stay competitive.
eGym, the Munich-based startup that offers cloud-connected gym equipment and supporting cloud software and app for the fitness training floor, has closed $45 million in Series C funding. The round was led by new investor HPE Growth Capital, while existing investors, including Highland Europe, also participated.
The problem that eGym is looking to solve is that, whilst gyms have moved from a bodybuilder market to a mass market in the last 20 years, the technology in gyms lags behind. That’s despite the fact that better use of technology can help to reduce customer churn, the biggest pain-point of both gym operator and gym users.
If you’re someone who likes exercising but are concerned about whether you’re “doing it right,” you might want to give Enflux a look. The startup specializes in fitness apparel equipped with sensors to provide actionable insights on your exercise regimen and will launch a $100,000 Kickstarter campaign on March 7 at 12:00 p.m. Pacific to fund its efforts.
Should its campaign be successful, Enflux said that it plans to complete assembly of the clothes by September, with delivery to its first backers by next year.
Would the world be different if Neil Armstrong had worn a Fitbit wristband when he set foot on the moon? What if Nixon had been equipped with a cardiac sensor during Watergate?
Quantified self for all
The Sports & Innovation series n°1 on high-level athletes described how technologies have become essential to monitor athletic performances. Technology is also becoming a part of regular sports practice: Sophisticated high-tech equipment is now accessible for amateurs to measure individual athletic performance.
Mobile World Congress (MWC) may be almost a week away, but we’re already gaining some insight into the kinds of products we can expect to see at the annual tech extravaganza in Barcelona.
Salted Venture, one of the first startups to be spun out of Samsung, has teased a new smart shoe aimed at helping athletes and coaches access data on an individual’s performance.
