Training

Wearable health-monitors are everywhere, from Fitbits for the health conscious to continuous glucose monitors for diabetics, but most are limited in what they can tell us, and there are issues around accuracy, calibration and reliability. Researchers in Sweden are working to change that.

Doctors in the south of the UK can now run through virtual reality simulations of emergency care for folks suffering from Type 1 diabetes, before applying what they've learned on real patients.

A new brain-training app has been shown to improve attention and concentration after just one month of use. The smartphone game, developed by scientists from the University of Cambridge, is now commercially available, but not all experts are convinced of the app’s purported beneficial effects.

While there are already surgical training systems that use VR headsets to "place" students in an interactive computer-generated operating room, a new simulator goes a step further. It incorporates haptic feedback, allowing users to actually feel the pressure exerted by digital tissue.

​Whether you're practising yoga or running a marathon, coaches will tell you to control your breathing. Given that coaches can't be with you at all times, though, Zansors' new wearable Respa device is designed to be the next-best thing.

At Interbike 2017, Wahoo Fitness unveiled a new device for its indoor training system that recreates one of the more challenging aspects of riding: hills. The Kickr Climb attaches to other Kickr trainers and simulators, changing the grade of the ride to better simulate steeper inclines.

​Hill-climbing may be a great workout for cyclists, but, well … not everyone has a hilly road nearby. That's why Australian cyclist Michael Freiberg created the AIRhub. Sold as a complete front wheel, its hub incorporates an electromagnetic brake that creates up to 100 watts of resistance.

​Italian aerospace company Leonardo announces that its Aermacchi M-345 High Efficiency Trainer (HET) has completed its maiden flight.According to the company, the 30 minute flight went off without incident.

​Horror games are often scarier in VR, but now it can help people face a different type of fear: public speaking. Picturing the audience in their underwear doesn’t help much, so the company’s Gear VR app, Speech Center VR, helps people feel more confident in front of a crowd.

A few years ago, Korg released a nifty practice tool called the TM-50 that combined tuner and metronome in one unit, allowing musicians to keep time and stay in tune. Now the company has added the ability to analyze and improve tone and technique with the release of the TM-50TR.

Prostate exams are difficult for med students to learn, thanks to the internal nature of the examination and a lack of willing test subjects. Scientists are developing a robotic rectum that recreates the feel of the real thing and even provides haptic feedback.

There has never been more choice in the world of fitness and health tracking, so the new Garmon Forerunner 735 XT wades into battle loaded to the gills with enough tech to satisfy even the most discerning multi-sport users, who no longer need to wear a chest strap to track their heart rate. ​