If you're a serious swimmer, then it's possible that you use a swim-tracking watch. The folks at Florida-based startup Phlex, however, felt that wristwatches weren't hydrodynamic or accurate enough. That's why they designed the goggle-mounted Edge.
Simply threaded through the goggle strap and worn against the side of the head, Edge utilizes biometric and inertial sensors to track over 30 swimming metrics while training. These include things like distance travelled (total and per stroke), calories burned, cadence, stroke count, kicks off the wall, and heart rate.
Once the user is finished training, Edge syncs with an iOS/Android app on their smartphone. Utilizing cloud-based machine-learning algorithms, that app provides an analysis of their performance, providing tips on what they need to do to improve. It also allows them to set training goals, and to access a database of workout routines that are reportedly written by Olympians, Iron Men and elite coaches.
Additionally, Edge lets users monitor their heart rate in real time (it has an infrared sensor, located at the user's temple). This is done by pressing a haptic feedback button on the device, which causes it to buzz when the user enters their target heart rate zone. More precisely, it buzzes once to let them know they've entered the fat-burning zone, with two buzzes for aerobic endurance, three for anaerobic endurance, and four for VO2 max.
Should you be interested in getting an Edge of your own, it's currently the subject of a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. A pledge of US$199 will get you one, when and if it reaches production. The planned retail price is $299.
There's more information in the following video. And if you're interested in other goggle-mounted swim-coaching devices, there's also the Marlin with its synthesized voice prompts, and Zwim with its head-up display.
