As usual, CES is all the buzz this time of year. This year, the Consumer Electronic Show revealed a growing trend in technology: Fitness Technology. From watches and wristbands to apps on your phone, technology pundits are betting on health as the latest technological battleground.
One such product that was revealed was the “Iriver On” earbuds by Valencell. It monitors everything you would expect in a doctor’s stress test: heart rate, distance, cadence, speed, and calories burned.
And the beauty of it all is that you can jam to your tunes while you wear it.
As you can see in the picture, the Iriver On is more than just a set of headphones. It comes with a behind-the-neck sensor that does all the monitoring. It’s stylish, out of the way, and integrates fully into their smartphone app.
Check out this video of Chris Eschbach, Valencell’s exercise physiologist, talk more about it.
[tentblogger-youtube Xh-IPkYwePs]
Of course, wearing my pastor hat brought out some interesting applications. Many churches have some sort of fitness ministry. For some it’s a parish nurse and others it’s a weight-loss support group. But what if you used the Iriver On as part of your outreach?
The downside is the price. At $200, you probably can’t afford to hand one out to every person that walks in your doors. (If you can, let me know what church you’re at and if you have any job openings!) But that doesn’t mean there’s not other ways of incorporating something like this.
For instance, it could be given away as a prize for the person that records the most amount of steps over a given period of time. Or a few could be purchased for the church and “checked out” (or perhaps rented) to members.
[Video via medgadget.com]
Joshua Schmidt says
200 dollars is definitely pricey. Sony wearable headphone cum mp3 players cost a fraction and do the job quite well. Useful for listening to music while doing some physical activity.