Two New Tools for Self-Tracking

As Nadeem Kassam sauntered down the hall of the pc History Museum in Mountain read, California, over Memorial Day weekend, all attention was on his wrist. The museum was host to the primary annual Quantified Self conference, a gathering of individuals who use totally different tools to record a range of non-public metrics with the goal of improving their health, happiness, and productivity.

Kassam was sporting the most well liked new fitness monitoring gadget: a tool that appears and acts sort of a watch, however that conjointly measures heart rate and alternative physiological factors. The monitor, created by self-tracking startup referred to as Basis (which Kassam cofounded), is exclusive within the range of metrics it tracks; it detects heart rate from the wrist using close to infrared spectroscopy, beside each skin and ambient temperature, and galvanic skin response, a live of sweat on the skin that's linked to each physical activity and stress or excitement. solely a number of folks are selected as beta testers for the device, that is slated to return out "soon."

"We analyze 5 totally different knowledge streams and decipher what folks do within the context of life," says Julie Wilner, product director at Basis. "High heart rate and temperature most likely suggests that somebody is exercising." Low activity, as recorded by the accelerometer, suggests the wearer is sleeping. The device conjointly tracks quality of sleep primarily based on movement throughout this section. It combines varied measures to calculate the quantity of calories burned throughout the course of each day. Accompanying software helps users track and visualize how they're progressing over time. "Are they changing into additional active?" says Wilner. "Do they restore or worse sleep on bound day of the week?"

The Basis watch is one among a growing range of recent tools that seeks to passively collect knowledge on the wearer's health and behavior with the aim of serving to them to vary it for the higher. These devices are a part of the new movement in self-tracking, enabled by a replacement generation of wireless devices and good phone apps to trace exercise, nutrition, sleep, mood, and alternative variables. "In the past, solely a motivated few would keep a diary for quite a number of weeks," says Wilner. "We need to bring these tools to folks that would not do that on their own, folks that create New Year's resolutions however do not keep them."
Green Goose is another startup with technology that generated an enormous buzz at the conference. the corporate takes a distinct tack on self-tracking, with cheap, sensor-laden stickers for everything from your toothbrush to the dog's leash. The sensors have an embedded accelerometer, beside an ultralow power wireless transmitter to send knowledge on the object's movement to a central base station.

The company's final plan is to remodel healthy behavior into a game. Users will set specific goals—walk the dog twice each day, brush once each meal—and software can award points for successful completion. inexperienced Goose cofounder Brian Krejcarek said at the conference that the corporate is functioning on some of initial applications for the sensors, however it conjointly plans to partner with alternatives to make a range of games and other applications.

"Once you get low enough in worth, imagination explodes in terms of what you'll do with the sensors," said Krejcarek.

One of the advantages of inexperienced Goose's approach is that as a result of the stickers become an embedded a part of everyday objects (each sticker contains a year's price of battery power), they cannot be tossed during a drawer once the novelty wears off. "If you stop staring at the info, you'll jump right back in once more," said Krejcarek. They expect to own the stickers on the market next year.