The Atlas wristband, a wearable that recognizes what activity you're doing to provide more useful fitness tracking data, has made the leap from crowdfunding success to the real world after raising over half a million dollars (US) on Indiegogo last year. Gizmag spotted the Atlas at the Wearable Technology show in London this week.
Atlas is a water-resistant fitness tracker that recognizes over a dozen different exercises including pull ups, jumping jacks, jump rope, dumbbell bicep curls and barbell bicep curls. The Austin-based company says it's working on more than doubling that amount soon. Thanks to "aircraft grade sensors," Atlas is capable of differentiating between sit-ups done with hands on temples, behind the head or arms crossed, and it can also detect whether you're going for the full sit-up or a crunch.
The sensors inside the Atlas trace the motions of the wrist through three dimensions and match each repetition with an exercise, allowing the system to track reps and sets, calculate calories burned and provide feedback on form through a connected app. It is also equipped with a vibration motor that buzzes you to mark the beginning and end of each set.
In the video demo below you can see the full vision for Atlas, but it's worth noting that the database of recognized exercises isn't yet as complete as the video would lead you to believe.
The Atlas slides in to a sport-style wristband, but only halfway, giving it a sort of goofy, off-center look. Inside the Atlas are two 32-bit ARM M4 processors, an accelerator, gyroscope and optical heart rate sensor. It also sports a 128x64 pixel touch display and is Android and iOS compatible.
If it works as advertised, the Atlas stands to take fitness tracking to a completely new level. The first batch is set to ship out to crowdfunding backers in April. It is also currently available for pre-order for US$249 with delivery expected in mid-2015. You can keep track of which exercises are currently in the Atlas database at the company's "exercise status" page.
Product page: Atlas Wearables
