There may be a lot of fitness trackers on the market, but the enthusiasm for supporting new trackers on crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo hasn't died down. At MobiHealthNews, we periodically check in on the health, wellness and medical devices on crowdfunding platforms that relate to digital health and wearable technology.
Our last roundup included sleep tracker Sense, whose maker Hello just raised another $10.5 million from some big name angel investors, on top of the $2.4 million the startup crowdfunded. Also included was Quantified Care, the startup formerly known as The Smartphone Physical. That company is still at about $10,000 of its $15,000 goal to launch its connected health marketplace.
Read on for seven more mobile health projects being crowdfunded right now, including three fitness trackers, a smart water bottle, a smartphone-connected microscope, and two new products for staying safe at bars.
Runscribe is a tracker intended specifically for runners. The device clips to the back of a shoe and measures 13 different kinematic metrics including pace, impact Gs, contact time, and combines those metrics into a single run score. It can store data inside the device, or sync it via Bluetooth to Android and Apple phones. As well as tracking running and track events such as hurdles, the tracker can be used to evaluate different running shoes to find the one that optimizes an athlete's performance.
Runscribe has had an impressive run so far on Kickstarter: In the first few days of its campaign, it's secured $122,000, more than twice its goal of $50,000. The device will retail for around $140.
Leo: Wearable Fitness Intelligence
Leo is also a fitness tracker that trades on tracking more metrics than existing devices. The device itself is worn as a strap around each thigh. It claims to measure muscle activity, fatigue, heart rate, lactic acid, hydration, calories, technique, and more, and translates those measurements into insights and suggestions via a connected app. And Leo is designed to learn, so the more people using it, the better it will be able to advise all of its users.
Leo will eventually retail for $299 per leg band (users can use one or two). Its campaign just closed with $143,000 -- nearly three times its $50,000 goal.
Elemoon is only lately an activity tracker -- its creators added that feature in response to requests from backers. Primarily, it's designed as a fashion-forward techie bracelet that changes colors to match the user's outfit, lights up and buzzes in response to phone calls and texts, and keeps users from walking away without their phones by alerting them if they get too far from them.
With a month to go, the project's $100,000 goal is nearly complete ($81,000 has been raised so far). The bracelet will retail for $199.
The Hug isn't the first hydration-tracking smart water bottle system to hit a crowdfunding platform. But The Hug isn't actually a water bottle, it's a sensor that wraps around an existing water bottle. Using motion sensing, it measures how often the user is drinking and prompts him or her to stay hydrated. The sensor and connected iOS app are focused on behavior change, to train the user to hydrate better on their own.
The Hug has raised $24,000 out of a $34,000 goal. The makers are shooting for a $59 price point.
Talkitt is an app for people who have speech impediments, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), cerebral palsy, stroke, brain injury, autism, or Parkinson’s disease. The user can simply talk into the smartphone or tablet, in any language, and the app will speak what they said back in that language and display the words on the screen. The company is working with Philips, and the creators of the device will be speaking at TEDMED this month.
So far, Talkitt has raised $13,000 on Indiegogo, out of a $50,000 goal. When the device is released, the creators intend to charge a $19.99 monthly subscription fee for the service.
DrinkMate is the latest in a long line of smartphone-connected breathalyzers, which were something of a crowdfunding craze last summer. What does DrinkMate have going for it in a crowded field? Well, it's very small: 1.8 inches long, 0.62 inches in diameter, and boasts just 0.2 ounces in weight. It's also Android-only and sells for just $25.
The project's Kickstarter goal is $40,000, and $15,000 has been raised so far.
pd.id Personal Drink Identifier
Finally, the last entry is a digital health take on the ongoing trend of devices to help people in bars (generally, but not always women) to detect the presence of date rape drugs in their drinks. This one uses a combination of spectrometry, electrical current, and temperature sensing to reusably scan drinks and tell the user if they're safe or not safe. The technology is based on drug-testing technology from the United States Drug Enforcement Agency.
The project, which is also in partnership with Philips, has raised $23,000 so far out of a $50,000 goal. The device will retail for $75.
