Fitness

Carrying a bottle of refreshing water with you on long runs can be an awkward affair. Kenmark Sports attempted to make hydration-on-the-go a little easier last year with its Armband Water Bottle, but it still looks to be a rather bulky, cumbersome and sloshy option. Justin Lynch has designed a new slimline runner-specific hydration system called the Hydrosleeve that allows runners to hydrate without breaking stride, while also taking care of the sloshing issue.  Read More

To be truly world class in any sport requires an innate ability coupled with years of training, usually starting at a very young age. While it's still impossible to engineer what you're born with, it is possible to train until you improve your skill level to a reasonable level. Training aids can be a useful tool, both for building fitness levels and increasing confidence. The people behind the Zero G Soccer Trainer claim their system does just this for aspiring soccer stars.  Read More

Researchers have created a prototype armchair designed to take care of the elderly by giving them health and fitness advice ... and even a workout. Developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits (IIS) in Germany, the GEWOS (Gesund Wohnen Mit Stil or Healthy Living With Style) armchair looks like an ordinary, comfortable chair. The difference is that it contains sensors built into the seat cushions, backrest and armrest that measure the heartbeat and oxygen saturation of the seated person, along with an integrated rowing machine that can get you exercising on the spot.  Read More

We’ve recently been seeing a lot of wearable fitness devices aimed at monitoring our activity levels and diet – devices such as the Jawbone UP and eButton, for example. According to some new studies, however, Microsoft’s “life-logging” SenseCam might be better-suited to the job.  Read More

There are already plenty of devices that allow people to measure factors such as their caloric intake and physical activity levels. While such data can be a vital part of achieving your fitness goals, its usefulness is limited without an understanding of your specific metabolism – if you don’t know how fast you burn calories, for instance, then you won’t know how many you should be consuming and/or burning. That’s why researchers at Arizona State University developed the Breezing portable metabolism tracker.  Read More

If you like to play first-person shooter games on your smartphone, you already have the option of making the gameplay more realistic by mounting your phone on the gun-like AppBlaster. However, what if you prefer shooting virtual arrows over virtual bullets? You’d need some sort of bow-like smartphone-holding gadget for that, wouldn’t you? Well, that’s just what the BowBlade is.  Read More

Fitbit has added to its catalog of activity and well-being trackers with the Flex – a wireless wristband monitor which made its debut at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this month.  Read More

There are quite a few wearable sensors designed to provide some high tech help getting fit, such as larklife and Fitbit. But a team of designers from Salt Lake City in the U.S. is convinced there’s room for their Amiigo, a fitness bracelet project currently going the crowdfunding route. Considering how fast the project has attracted support it seems that, yes, there is room for another player in this niche.  Read More

While opinions are divided on how video games affect young minds, one thing seems to be definite – spending a lot of time playing sit-down games makes kids fat. Fortunately, gaming systems like Wii and Kinect are getting players active. Now, motion capture and medical diagnostics company Intellect Motion hopes to take that trend farther, with a line of active gaming products aimed at keeping children fit.  Read More