More Than Just a Glorified Pedometer? New Fitness Band Is a Personalized Activity Tracker That Drives Competition

There are a whole host of fitness bands out there, but to Dave Scott, they're all like glorified pedometers.

That's why he and his team set out to create a wearable sensor system -- Amiigo -- that not only is activity specific and tracks other metrics like calories burned, heart-rate and body temperature, but it also makes working out more fun overall. Though there are quite a few fitness gadgets that track similar measurements, many aren't an all-in-one system like Amiigo.

(Photo: Amiigo)

As seen on Amiigo's crowd-funding site to get the product going, it's clear such a device is in high demand. Amiigo's Indigogo site, which had an initial goal of raising $90,000, with 10 days left to fund the product has raised more than $455,000 from more than 3,700 people.

Scott told TheBlaze what the market clearly wants is "something in terms of a lot of new functionality." And the co-founder thinks that Amiigo can offer that.

In addition to tracking several fitness metrics with the wristband and shoe sensor, the system syncs automatically with a smartphone -- iPhone and newer Androids -- and allows for real-time updates to friends using it. Amiigo also has a points system, which the creators envision being used to earn coupons for fitness gear or health foods.

(Image: Amiigo)

"The main goal is to create the most engaging fitness component out there," Scott said. "[Amiigo] allows you to see information a new way and how your body is responding to it."

The Amiigo system comes with some pre-programmed activities it can sense, like running or working out on an elliptical, but it can be calibrated individually to know what a user's specific weight reps might be or another more obscure exercise. And yes, it's all water-proof so even swimmers can use it.

(Photo: Amiigo)

(Photo: Amiigo)

If your friends aren't going to the same gym -- or even if they're not in the same state -- you can have fitness competitions with them, friendly ones of course.

It's based on the idea that when you're playing a game or engaging another activity, you'll "forget that you're pushing your body to the limit," Scott said.

That said, Amiigo is not a fitness app that lets you fudge the details like some where you input your own distance, time, reps, etc. Amiigo tracks what you've done in real time to hold you accountable, Scott said.

Here the founders explain how Amiigo works:

Amiigo will not be commercially available until after the initial Indigogo investors receive their first products in June. Scott said the device system will cost about $150.

With funding well exceeding their initial goal, Scott said they'll be using it to research and create more features for the Amiigo.

Learn more about the Amiigo system here.

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