By Andrew Liszewski

Do you have trouble feeling motivated to do anything besides play video games? Well it turns out your constant pursuit of high scores and unlocking achievements is exactly what could save you from your slothenly lifestyle. The Green Goose system, originally developed by a company of the same name to illustrate how an eco-friendly lifestyle could save you money, has been re-purposed to turn the activities of everyday life into a sort of video game. At least when it comes to tracking scores and unlocking rewards.

The system is centered around an egg-shaped sensor connected to your router that reports back to a website where your stats are tracked. The sensor accepts input from a wide variety of peripherals like a credit card sized pedometer you carry with you, a toothbrush monitor and a set of accelerator and radio-equipped stickers which attach to items like water bottles, floss or even your vacuum. As you go about your daily routines your use of these items is tracked and converted to lifestyle points tracked on their website, with more points being earned for consistency and intensity. Available soon as a starter kit (including what’s pictured above) for just $24.

[ GreenGoose ] VIA [ ReadWriteWeb ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Exercise is less effective when you’re not properly going through the motions, and there’s even the risk of causing bodily harm when dealing with things like weights if you don’t have the proper technique. But at the same time, not everyone can afford a personal trainer to monitor and provide feedback on their exercise routines. So as part of the ‘FitForAge’ initiative sponsored by the Bavarian Research Foundation, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute have developed an Electronic Fitness Trainer that’s available to anyone with access to a smartphone, computer or even just a TV.

The system is a combination of a customizable app and a sensor equipped suit that’s able to track the wearer’s position and movements while they’re exercising. The routine they follow is initially setup by a trainer or a physical therapist who ensures that it’s tailored to their needs and capabilities, and that they’re performing the various exercises properly. After that the app takes over, showing a virtual 3D avatar of the person in the suit and providing feedback when their motions or position don’t quite match up with what the trainer had specified. The system allows for trainers to be of assistance to more clients, while not requiring them to always be around during their actual routines, and ensures that the exercises they’re doing are as beneficial and effective as they can be.

[ Fraunhofer - CeBIT 2011: Electronic Fitness Trainer ]

By Andrew Liszewski

It seems like there’s a new watch band accessory for the 6th generation iPod Nano popping up every week, and for the most part they rarely bring anything new or interesting to the table. However the new Sport Watch Band from HEX is the first one to accomodate the dongle required for the Nike Plus in-shoe pedometer.

I mean it’s not exactly the most ground-breaking innovation, but since the 6th gen Nano has become so popular for workouts, particularly when paired with a watch band, it’s a small improvement that’s sure to make the Sport Watch Band very popular among fitness types. And it will be available in April, probably comparably priced to their existing $29.95 Nano watch bands.

[ PR - HEX Announces Sport Watch Band Compatible with NIKE Plus ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Realizing that not everyone likes to jog or run with an iPod strapped to their arm, Nike has created a new watch that works in tandem with their in-shoe Nike+ Sensor and provides the same functionality already built-into the iPods and their iPhone app. The advantage to using this watch though is that it’s not only waterproof, but it also features TomTom GPS hardware built-in. So while it’s keeping track of your steps via the in-shoe sensor, it’s also tracking where they’ve been taken, allowing your route to be analyzed on the Nikeplus.com website. And in order to keep things simple and battery life as lengthy as possible, the watch syncs to your PC, and the Nike+ website, via a USB connector integrated into the watch strap.

The watch sports an inverted monochrome LCD display and a robust UI that’s easy to navigate via a couple of buttons on the side of the case. And besides just keeping track of how far you’ve run and where you’ve been, the watch will also compare your performance against past results to let you know if you’ve improved, and of course will even nag you when you haven’t gotten out for a bit of exercise in a while. The Nike+ SportWatch GPS will be available on April 1, and while not specified, we were told that pricing should be comparable to other GPS-equipped watches already on the market.

[ Nike+ SportWatch GPS ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Another new year is upon us, and now’s the time to strike when you’re gung-ho about tackling all those new year’s resolutions before they’re completely forgotten by Martin Luther King Day. Of course shedding those Christmas pounds is always at the top of most people’s lists, and Escali’s Track & Target scale is a nice option for keeping your eyes on the lean and trim prize.

For the most part it’s your standard, stylish glass panel bathroom scale, but it lets up to 4 users input a target weight, and it will keep track of their progress every time they step on it. The LCD display not only shows your current weight, but also reminds you of your target and tells you how much you’ve gained or lost since you last stepped on, and how far you’ve still got to go. It’s $64.95 which isn’t terribly expensive for a somewhat high-tech scale, and if the simple motivation it provides keeps you working towards your goal well into the new year, then it’s definitely worth it.

[ Escali Track & Target Digital Scale ] VIA [ GadgetGrid ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Ironically, while this Tai Chi Chair, designed by Ecole Superieure d’Art de Design De Reims student Yuan Yuan, is supposed to provide relief at the end of a long day by providing handholds and footholds for performing various Tai Chi poses, its flat bottomed seat and minimal support would probably do a real number on your spine if you had to sit on it all day long. So in the long run you can save yourself the pain, and the exercise, by just avoiding it all together.

[ Reflexdeco - OFFICE GYM : chaise Taï Chi Chuan par Yuan Yuan ] VIA [ MoCo Loco ]

By Andrew Liszewski

People don’t give kids enough credit. I mean while I applaud companies that try to come up with clever ways to get kids off the couch, you’re never going to trick them into getting some exercise. But a little positive reinforcement never hurts, and that’s what Takara Tomy’s new Sprint Gear provides.

It’s a combination of a special set of sensor-equipped sneaks, the SJJ-4490 and SJJ-4570 from Japanese shoemaker Shunsoku, and an interactive wristband. In a way you can draw comparisons to the Nike + iPod setup, except that this is clearly targeted towards a younger market. The wristband is primarily designed to provide a way for kids to track their performance, how far they can run in a given time etc. but there also appears to be some manner of mini-games that can be unlocked based on how long you’ve been active or how far you’ve gone. Syncing the pedometer data from the shoe just requires the wearer to touch the Shunsoku logo on the shoe, which I assume starts up some intermittent wireless transfer of the data.

The Takara Tomy website seems to list a price tag of about $35 (¥2,940) amongst all the untranslatable images. And I’m going to assume that’s for just the wrist band component. From the looks of it the shoes are sold separately.

[ Takara Tomy - Sprint Gear ] VIA [ Akihabara News ]

By Andrew Liszewski

You can strike ‘poor aesthetics’ off the list of reasons why you won’t ride an exercise bike because the Ciclotte is quite literally a work of art. It turns out you can be a lot more creative with bike design when it doesn’t have to go anywhere, or when not limited by affordability.

The Ciclotte was designed by Luca Schieppati (based on an earlier concept bike he created) and is made from carbon fiber among other high-end ingredients. A “dual satellite epicycloid system” of four gears rotate an outer fly wheel four times for every rotation of the pedals, and additional resistance using magnets can be dialed in with a built-in touchscreen display. There’s no doubt it looks amazing, and they’ve got me pretty convinced you’ll get a good workout too. And to be quite honest the $10,700 price tag doesn’t have me that sticker shocked.

[ Ciclotte ] VIA [ Wired ] VIA [ bookofjoe ]

By Andrew Liszewski

From Oregon Scientific comes this pretty standard heart rate monitoring watch with a few extra tricks up its sleeve. Besides monitoring and displaying your current, average and maximum heart rate, the Tap On Elite also keeps track of your calories burned, fitness level and your body mass index. And it’s called the ‘Tap On’ because while it does have buttons on the side, in order to change modes you just simply tap on the watch’s face.

It’s also got a dehydration warning, though it doesn’t seem to have any means to actually measure your body’s hyrdation level but instead tries to intelligently predict your fluid loss and prompt you to rehydrate at certain intervals. Presumably correctly selecting one of its 3 exercise profiles; jogging, running or cycling, will provide more timely and accurate prompts. The stopwatch and timer is also pretty standard fare for a fitness-oriented watch, as is the 50 meter water resistance, and it’s available directly from Oregon Scientific for $99.99.

[ Oregon Scientific Tap On Elite Heart Rate Monitor With Hydration Alert ] VIA [ 7Gadgets ]