Those resolving to improve their health in 2015 will have to began the trek without the products in this week's Crowd-Fueled Kickstarter Thursday, but these campaigns, if funded, could deliver tech that will help consumers stay the course on those commitments boisterously proclaimed under showers of champagne and streamers.
Fitness goals are some of the most common resolutions made as the calendar changes and the months reset. Getting healthier doesn't require the use of tech, but insights gathered from cutting-edge gear products can serve as the compass star on the way to reaching even the most ambitious of goals.
Stridalyzer Smart Insoles
These smart insoles promise to deliver insights on a runner's form, tracking the supination and pronation -- the outward and inward rolls -- of the individual's feet as they strike the ground. Stridalyzer also tracks the stress on the knees, combing the data from foot strikes to map our sole pressures in real time.
"While there is a lot of debate on the best way to run, there are two aspects of running that everyone can agree on," states the campaign by the ReTiSense team. "The 'right' way to run is unique to every person's body, and that preventing injuries and increasing performance comes from the 'right' form."
Propelled out of the gates with $10,000 in pledges during its first week, Strydalyzer's pace has slowed a bit. The smart insoles have attracted 176 backers and the campaign has accumulated over $17,512 of its $25,000 goal, which is promising progress for a campaign that still has two weeks left until its Jan. 7 cut-off.
BreatheAware
For the crowds of individuals fueled and ready to kickstart a new year, BreatheAware wants to remind them to take a deep breath every now and then. The platform-as-a-service calls users into its web interfaces twice a day, where individuals can practice improving their posture and expanding the capacities of their lungs.
BreatheAware adapts to each user's progress and coaches them individually on mindfulness, posture and breathing. The deep-breath timer will adapt to a user and push him or her to progress to draws, for example.
"Our trial groups have called BreatheAware 'an oasis' in their otherwise busy life, providing them with a few structured minutes of health a couple times a day," states the campaign.
BreatheAware's campaign looks like it may come down to the wire in reach its goal of $35,000. Over 140 backers have pledged more than $24,700 to the campaign and there's just over a week left -- idioms stricken from this section include "don't hold your breath," "breath of fresh air," "bated breath," "breathe easy" and "second wind."
TreadGaming
For gamers, fitness goals can fall by the wayside on new-release Tuesdays. But TreadGaming promises to combine exercise with videos, creating an experience that could be a breath of fresh air for those who have been waiting for with bated breath for something like this -- hey, it's a new section.
The TreadGaming sensor sits at the back of a gamer's treadmill, interpreting real-world steps into virtual movement. The gadget's compatibility with Wii nunchucks delivers the horizontal vectors.
At least two dozen backers have pledged roughly $1,000 of the campaign's goal of approximately $2,900. With roughly a month left, TreadGaming's goal is very much in reach for Swedish developer Daniel Åkesson.
If that wasn't enough Crowd-Fueled Kickstarter Thursday, check out last week's roundup by clicking here.
