Lumafit Launches Interactive Virtual Fitness Coach

Lumafit has successfully funded the Lumafit Virtual Coach, an interactive virtual fitness coach and meditation trainer with heart rate tracking.

The Lumafit device is an ultralight ear-worn virtual fitness coaching system that automatically tracks the user’s cardio sessions and can be used at home, at the gym, or outdoors. It is a wearable sensor that measures the user’s heart rate and motion and acts as a coach, using head motion tracking to provide interactive training sessions and guide the user through the workouts.

The Lumafit knows what fitness machine is being used, whether it is a treadmill, a stationary bike, a cross trainer, or a rowing machine. It can identify the 3D head trajectory ‘signatures’ that are unique to every exercise. Home fitness routines delivered by the Bootcamp app are suited to different fitness levels and include press ups, lunges, sit-ups, squats, burpees, jumping jacks, and many more. The Lumafit tells users whether or not they are doing the exercises correctly, making their training sessions more efficient.

The Lumafit also provides a range of data at the gym with the GymTracker app, including calorie expenditure, cadence, and impact force. What makes the Lumafit unique among heart rate trackers is the “what’s your heart age” feature, included in the Lumafit fitness program. The virtual coach provides an estimate of the user’s heart age and can set fitness targets to reduce the heart age through various workout routines.

The device is also a meditation trainer which can help users relax and reboot in ten-minute sessions of mindful breathing to keep their minds strong and focused. The Lumafit Zen App guides users through the meditative breathing session and displays a visual representation of their stress reducing.

Lumafit was developed by two MIT MediaLab researchers, Darran Hughes, who previously worked in biomedical engineering with game development on PlayStation and Xbox, and Stephen Hughes, an expert in sensor design who has worked with companies like Samsung and Nokia.

After a successful crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter in June, the Lumafit Virtual Coach will start shipping in October.