If you prefer your exercise routines to be incredibly brief and awkward, Japan once again delivers with a contraption designed to tighten cheeks and eliminate double chins. The Kuwaete Sukkiri actually works out just your tongue, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a machine at your gym that can tighten facial muscles with just a minute of commitment every day. More »
Anyone who checks Google Now compulsively on a Jelly Bean-equipped Android phone might have noticed a surprise appear while they were checking for directions home from that big Halloween bash. An unannounced pedometer card has surfaced that shows just how many miles we (or our phones) have been biking or walking in a given month, with the intent clearly to spur couch dwellers into action. The discovery at Droid-Life reveals that Google has been using the GPS information it already had to catalog our athletic progress since at least September — a bit creepy, but not shocking when the positioning is already needed for directions. As for the mileage figure you see above? It’s not this writer’s only phone, so that distance is much lower than it should be. Really. Honest.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google
Google Now slips in a pedometer, reminds us we need to get out more originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Nov 2012 14:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Few things are as important as heart rate while exercising. Staying within a target heart rate can help determine how well your body performs. With that in mind, researchers at the University of Virginia have developed an app-based system capable of controlling your heartrate through strategically selected songs. More »
It’s hard to deny the appeal of a space-bound robot like NASA’s Robonaut 2, fears of subversion notwithstanding. The space agency and Florida’s Institute for Human and Machine Cognition know it, and they want to put that technology into an exoskeleton with a nobler purpose than performing chores on space stations. The in-development X1 (not yet pictured) adapts the Robonaut’s skills to a body-hugging frame with 10 points of movement that might give humans an assist when they need it the most. In space, the X1 could automate and add challenge to exercise for astronauts in low gravity, or provide the extra muscle for that fabled day we return to manned surface exploration. NASA envisions its exoskeleton having more grounded uses as well, such as rehabilitation for leg injuries or walking for those who never had the chance. Although we’re not expecting a rapid turnaround knowing NASA’s lengthy schedules, we might see the X1 in use sooner than most such products in the wake of a purposefully quick development cycle — and, no doubt, a few interested customers here on Earth.
Filed under: Robots, Wearables, Science
NASA and IHMC building X1 exoskeleton to give us a lift, keep us fit in space and on Earth originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Oct 2012 01:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sure, you can turn your smartphone into a bike computer, but if you’d rather not put your pricey piece of tech anywhere near harm’s way, Wahoo Fitness’ RFLKT Bike Computer offers an alternative. Instead of packing all the brains, the device sits atop a bicycle’s handlebar and displays data it’s fed via Bluetooth 4.0 from cycling apps running on an iPhone 4S or 5. At launch, the hardware will support the firm’s own Cyclemeter application and Wahoo Fitness App which can monitor ride information ranging from location to speed, in addition to heart rate with additional accoutrement. Aspiring Alberto Contadors can page through data and even sift through tunes on their playlist with the help of buttons on the device’s side. Gently tipping the scales at 2 ounces, the RFLKT measures up at 2.4- x 1.6 x 0.5-inches and boats a one-year battery life on a single coin cell. Wahoo’s gadget is slated for a December launch, but there’s still no word on pricing. For more specifics, take a gander at the full press release below.
Filed under: Misc, Transportation
Wahoo Fitness introduces RFLKT: an iPhone-powered bike computer that lets handsets stay in pockets originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 00:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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I read the photo caption but I still don’t know what’s going on here: Two Japan Ground Self-Defence Force’s AH-64DJ Apache attack helicopters flying over eight of tanks shooting pyrotechnics in a live-fire exercise near Mount Fuji. More »
The fitness industry thrives by preying on people’s insecurities about their bodies. It means even the craziest of contraptions—from Thigh Masters to Tae-Bo dummies—fly off the shelves. But who in their right mind would drop over $18,000 on this hot tub-wrapped Fit-Wet exercise bike that flushes itself after every use? (What are they expecting people to do in there?) More »
It’s hard to get into the habit of exercising unless you’ve got some sweet incentives waiting for you at the finish line. That’s probably what Janko Hofmann and Fabian Pammer were thinking when they came up with the Arduino-powered Personal Energy Orb. It’s basically a device that measures your ‘virtual energy level,’ which gauges how much time you spend in front of your computer versus other activities that will actually require you to move.
This energy level goes down with every minute you spend using your computer, but you can push it back up by going out for a ride on your bike. Aside from turning red when your virtual energy is dangerously low, the orb works in conjunction with an app that’ll decrease your cursor speed until it barely cross across your screen.
So if you want to keep using your computer, you can’t really do anything except go for a ride so your cursor will go back to its normal speed.
[via The Verge]
I’m not the bicycling sort and I’m more of a gearhead, but I know cycling is a very popular pastime around the world. If you’re a serious cyclist who prefers to practice indoors when the weather won’t allow you to go outside, you may be interested in a new product from Wahoo Fitness. The device is an iPhone-controlled bike trainer called the Kickr Power Trainer.
The device replaces the back wheel on your bicycle and uses apps on the iPhone to control its resistance. The device is compatible with some of the most popular bicycling apps out there including TrainerRoad and Kinomap Trainer. The Kickr is able to accurately replicate all sorts of real-world conditions from coasting downhill to riding up a 15% grade. The app allows the user to track their power in watts and speed using iPhone. The trainer is compatible with both Bluetooth 4.0 and ANT+ technologies.
It’s not clear if the KICKR includes an iPhone mount, but Wahoo does sell a variety of models if you don’t already have one. The KICKR is expected to launch in November in the US at an undisclosed price.
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