The rise of exercise technology looks set to continue at CES 2021, and as it evolves, the aim is moving beyond just fitness tracking and devices that encourage users to exercise. At least one company, Wondercise, wants to ensure that your form is improving as you exercise with its new Multi-Point Motion Match system.
Anyone who has taken a class at a gym or even done a video workout at home knows that one of the main pieces of advice every trainer gives is that even if you don’t yet have the speed or strength to perform a movement for peak impact, you need to ensure your form is right. It’s critical. Good form helps reduce the likelihood of injury and improve the impact of your workout. Part of the issue is that current fitness trackers, like a smartwatch or wristband, have a difficult time discerning different exercise movements because they have to rely on a single point of motion tracking.
That had been the limitation of Wondercise, but in addition to a wristband, the new Multi-Point Motion Match system adds a leg strap, and you also pair an Apple Watch, Garmin, or Wondercise band (first- or second-gen) for three-point measurement and faster data sampling. While the system will work with the first-generation Wondercise band, the company is planning to release a second-gen band with faster data sampling in the second quarter of 2021.
The added accuracy and data sampling speed promises “live” movement tracking with an on-screen score based on how closely your form matches your trainer. This means the new system can track your upper body, lower body, heart rate, and cardio burn in addition to form.
Those are certainly impressive claims, but as always, we’ll have to see how it works in the real world. Wondercise claims real-time capture is happening, but said the actual focus of the system is “to determine bad or good form when the trainee follows the trainer’s every movement.” The company also said it has an A.I. engine to aid in the motion classification and matching.
The Wondercise Motion Match system is due for release in the first quarter of 2021 and the second-generation Wondercise band is planned for a second quarter of 20201 release. Pricing hasn’t been announced yet, but for reference, the first-generation Wondercise band costs $99.
The OnePlus Buds Clip are a new pair of open-ear earbuds built around a simple convenience. They join Sony’s LinkBuds Clip in the growing ear-cuff category, but either OnePlus bud can go on either ear.
Sensors recognize how the earbuds are being worn and route the audio channels accordingly. There’s no label to check before putting them on, and the feature also works when only one bud is used.
We buy fitness bands and activity trackers to keep tabs on our exercise, but it is easy to forget to start tracking or switch modes when moving between different activities. For Fitbit and Pixel Watch users, that could soon become a lot less annoying, as Google is rolling out a major upgrade to automatic activity tracking that can recognize more than 100 types of exercise, up from just 10 before.
Google first showed off the improved tracking earlier this month alongside the Fitbit Edge. It is now coming to Fitbit Air and the Pixel Watch 3, 4, and 5, and Google claims the added context behind the system makes workout detection nearly twice as accurate while cutting missed activities by more than half. Fitbit Edge will support it too.