feeble allspice: Insert Coin: LifeBeam heart-monitoring smart cycling helmet (video)

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Insert Coin: LifeBeam heart-monitoring smart cycling helmet (video)

In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line.

Let's face it: heart monitors, whether strapped to our chests or mounted to the front of a treadmill, are an awful pain to use. But, those rate readouts can be quite useful while involved in any sort of physical activity, making them a necessary hindrance. A proposed "smart cycling helmet" from LifeBeam, a company best known for its defense products, would serve to simplify things a bit. The solution, which is based on physiological monitoring devices installed in some fighter pilot helmets, would instead serve consumers -- cyclists, specifically. LifeBeam will insert sensors within cycling headgear, letting you capture measurements as you pedal up hills and down city streets.

With included ANT+ and Bluetooth transmitters, the device, which weighs 50 grams and supports up to 15 hours of continuous usage, can feed data to a smartphone or sport watch, for example, letting you track your stats in realtime. LifeBeam has turned to Indiegogo to raise funds for the project, with limited "pre-order" pricing fixed at $149 for the first 200 helmets sold. From there, the price jumps to $189 -- helmets are expected to begin shipping in September of this year. Sound like a fit? Hit up the source link to help the team reach their $50,000 funding goal, or, if you still need a bit of convincing, you can check out the well-produced video embedded just past the break.

Filed under: Wearables