This week at CES, Valencell announced that iRiver, a manufacturer of multimedia products, has released its first product with Valencell’s PerformTek Precision Biometrics sensing technology.
If you remember from last year’s CES, Valencell’s PerformTek technology uses the ear’s unique physiology to gather vital health and fitness data by embedding sensors in a regular pair of earbuds. Some of the data that PerformTek sensors measure are heart rate, distance, speed, cadence, VO2 max (aerobic fitness level) and calories burned. In addition to earbuds, PerformTek can be used in a variety of form factors, such as wristbands, and can be applied in a number of applications, such as military technology, mental health, and rehab.
As for the earbuds itself, they’re called the iriver ON and will retail for $199 when they’re released in March.
Here’s a video of our chat with Chris Eschbach, an exercise physiologist with Valencell:
Press Release: Valencell, Inc. & iriver, Ltd. Unveil Breakthrough Fitness Monitoring Earbuds at CES
Medgadget Flashback: Valencell’s V-LINC Sensor Technology Monitors Your Health Using Your Music Player’s Buds