The future of fitness could be a chest-worn sticker
For the last couple of years, medical science has been working on a way to build health sensors into stickers for better patient monitoring. It looks as if the folks behind AmpStrip might have gotten there first. AmpStrip is a piece of wearable technology that sticks onto your chest (we're told that the ideal location is below your nipple) and monitors your vitals without needing any other of the numerous fitness products we've seen on the market.
Nestled within the Band-Aid-sized hardware is an accelerometer, thermometer and a heart rate sensor, which, combined, are capable of monitoring your heart rate, movement and activity. You don't actually stick the AmpStrip directly onto your skin, it has to be said; instead you use a sticky pad that lasts for between three and seven days, depending on your workout. Stick it down properly, however, and it should hold firm even when you go swimming, which you can do with the AmpStrip.
Because the hardware is self-contained, you'll need to drop it onto a wireless charging plate for a couple of hours. That's not much charging, but the company promises that a combination of Bluetooth Low Energy and some secret algorithmic sauce will keep the battery ticking over for a full seven days. The hardware itself is currently in beta, but now that AmpStrip has beaten its Indiegogo goal, production should begin sometime this summer.
Chris Velazco contributed to this report.
