Montreal-based Polar Electro Canada– not to be confused with Toronto-based startup Polar– has released its “Polar Loop Activity Monitor”, which measures daily movement and activities.
Riding the biometric wave, the company said the smart bracelet is a stylish device that was created for “people wanting to improve their overall fitness and achieve a balanced, healthy lifestyle”. The bracelet is designed for wear around the clock, even while sleeping.
“The inspiration for the development of the Loop product comes from our desire to help improve an individual’s overall health,” said Polar’s Marco Suvilaakso. “The Loop is the result of our unique physiological expertise developed over 30 years of combining science and technology. It is a simple, easy-to-use tool that helps everyday people live a healthy lifestyle and reach their goals.”
Together with the free online app, the waterproof device collects information to suggest how to make small changes in one’s daily lifestyle in order to improve health. The company said an android version of the app is on its way soon.
In the last few weeks we’ve extensively covered biometric devices being crowdfunded or officially launched, from fitness-tracking devices for athletes, to internet-enabled motion sensor devices. The craze and hunger for these toys have hit a high and Polar seems to be releasing its product at the right time.
It tracks five different levels of activity, so that it can distinguish between, gentle walking and running, provides guidance about how to complete individual day’s activity target and alerts users, through a friendly message on their phone, when they have been sitting down for too long. Moreover, it can intelligently measures activity, taking account an individual’s gender and age: it “tracks this physical activity and compares it with globally recognized physical activity guidelines from the World Health Organization.” Finally, the bracelet can provide daily, weekly and monthly views of activity levels at the different levels of intensity in the free online service and app.
“We are excited to offer such a sophisticated tool that will motivate consumers to be more active by illustrating the impact of small changes in everyday life,” said Polar’s Danielle Lapierre. “The national strength and reach of our retail partners will help ensure that the Loop is available to Canadians across the country.”
The Polar Loop will be available in Canada in November for a suggested retail price of $99.90 at stores like Sport Chek, Sports Experts and The Running Room (or shoppolar.ca). Initially it’s only available black, and will feature a red LED display set into a rubberized wristband with a stainless steel buckle. A pink version featuring white LEDs will be released in 2014.
