When it comes to sports training, there’s always the risk of over-training and injury. The stresses put on the human body often are overlooked and unquantified until it’s too late. Although it’s difficult to measure stressors from exercise, it’s not impossible. Electrocardiogram technology, for example, is used by doctors and other medical professionals to ensure patients are safe and healthy. The makers of CALM are looking to make ECG technology more accessible to the average person, with their device which is a wearable ECG monitor for sports and sleep analysis. With the device, users can gather essential information and data around safety, sleep quality and calmness.
To use the device users, put the sensor on while training. Depending on the type of exercise, users can choose to use an adjustable chest belt or disposable gel pad to fasten the device to their bodies. CALM senses the movements and ECG signal from the heart. Since ECG signals show the shape of each heartbeat, it’s possible to learn about the physical and mental conditions rather than relying on heart rate alone. If desired, users can save their training session data to the cloud for further analysis.
Sleep also is another core element of health which is why CALM also is designed to yield a deeper analysis into sleep than is possible with wrist monitors. This is made possible because CALM not only senses physical movements, but it also tracks what the wearer’s heart and lungs are doing while they are asleep.
Rather than having users struggle to understand cryptic data, the makers of CALM have developed the CALMness score which measures relaxation, focus, physical stress, and mental stress. It’s derived from heart rate variability, analysis, and respiration which corresponds to the user’s autonomic nervous system.
The CALM sensor is sized 74 x 28 x 10mm (2.9×1.1×0.4in), weighs 14g (0.5oz), is made of ABS plastic, and features a 210 mAh rechargeable battery. The battery has a continuous run time of 72 hours and lasts up to several days in stamina mode (LED off, reduced data rate). The chest strap is adjustable between chest circumference of 65 ~ 95cm (25.5 ~ 37.5in) and made of stretchable fabric and a conductive polymer. The disposable gel pad is made of medical grade Ag/AgCl gel.
So far, the makers of CALM have raised over $37,000 via crowdfunding with an estimated shipping as early as July 2017. Super early bird pricing for the device starts at $80 and includes a sensor, charging cable, sensor belt, along with a pack of ten gel pads. The suggested retail price for the device will be $120, while the disposable pads will sell in packs of ten for $12.
