At CES this week Basis previewed its online portal, a dashboard for its upcoming Basis B1 band wrist-worn device. The dashboard displays the information collected by the device, including calories burned, steps taken, and hours slept, which it also rolls into a number of "points" for an overall index number (out of 100).
In a new demo video posted just before CES kicked off this week, Basis CEO Jef Holove explains that the device uses five different sensors to collect data about the user's activity, environment, and how his body responds to those activities. The data is then uploaded to a cloud service where it is analyzed and "then told to me in everyday language -- things that I could understand -- about how to live better," Holove said.
At the top of the dashboard are four big data points for calories burned, steps taken, hours slept, and overall points. Each of these includes a simple bar graph to show how close to the goal the user is at that time. Underneath those numbers is a bar graph of heart rate readings taken by the device throughout the day. Beneath that bar graph is a timeline of discreet events and activities that the device automatically detected -- physical activity, sleep, etc. Those events include specific calories burned for that amount of time, too.
"Beyond those high level metrics, the system will be able to publish to you interesting insights about your day," Holove says in the video.
While the device is obviously mobile, it's not wireless. The data is uploaded to the cloud via the user's computer -- the B1 Band plugs into the user's computer via USB. The company has promised future Bluetooth support.
The Basis B1 Band measures the wearer’s heart rate, temperature, and galvanic skin response via five embedded sensors. The company plans to allow third party developers to build apps that work with the device. It is expected to retail for $199 and become available sometime later this year.
Basis touts the device as comfortable and unobtrusive enough to be worn 24/7.
In an interview with MobiHealthNews last year, Holove said that most other heart rate tracking devices require chest straps, which are uncomfortable and cumbersome. Other fitness devices that may be more comfortable to wear offer a smaller subset of sensors than the array Basis has put together, he said. "We are [building] a much richer data set,” Holove told MobiHealthNews at the time.
Basis' advisory board includes an executive at Facebook as well as the co-founders of RedOctane, co-creators of the Guitar Hero series. For six years Basis was known as PulseTracer, but the company changed names last year in anticipation of a commercial rollout. The company closed a $9 million first round of funding last March.
Read the press release below.
PRESS RELEASE -- BASIS Science, Inc. (www.mybasis.com) the creators of the world's first continuous heart rate and health tracker, the Basis™ B1 band, will be demoing at the 2012 International CES show in Las Vegas and showing its web-based personal dashboard for the first time. The dashboard has been designed as an intuitive way to give people information about their everyday health and wellness.
"We have designed the Basis band to track heart rate 24 hours a day, along with other metrics like calories burned, level of activity and duration of sleep," said Jef Holove, CEO of Basis. "This information is then presented in an easy-to-use web dashboard to give you insights on how you're progressing against your goals," said Holove.
The Basis band has multiple sensors centered around an optical engine that tracks heart rate by directing light into theskin to 'see' actual blood flow. Additional sensors gather information such as movement to create a complete picture of your health.
Basis will be participating in a number of events and panels at CES including:
- View the Basis band and dashboard at Pepcom's Digital Experience media event on January 9th from 7pm to 11pm at the MGM Hotel.
- Listen to Jef Holove, Basis CEO, participate in a panel on UntetheredFitness - Mobile Devices andtheir Apps – Jan. 10th at 9:45am in the LVCC Room N256.
- Come vote LIVE for the Basis band in Last Gadget Standing – Jan. 12th at 10:30am in Room N257 in the North of the LVCC.
- Watch Jef Holove on the End of the Couch Potato panel on Jan. 12th at 2:50pm in the LVCC North Hall, N250.
- See the Basis band at the FashionWare show hosted by Living in Digital Times, on Jan. 12th at 6:30 pm in the Fashion Show Mall.
