Is it the end of an era for devices like FitBit and JawBone? Maybe. This fall, we’ll be able to analyze our workouts with a line of high-tech clothes from ATHOS clothing.
Dhananja Jayalath and Christopher Wiebe, Co-Founders for ATHOS met while they were electrical engineering students at the University of Waterloo. When they weren’t hitting the books they would visit the weight room together (in an attempt) to blow off steam, but instead of de-stressing and having fun, they found working out to be a trying experience.
“Exercising can be a very frustrating thing, especially for an engineer, because it’s really hard to tell how well you’re performing during the actual workout,” Jayalath told Theverge.com. “The next day you’ll be sore. Maybe too sore if you worked out more than you needed, maybe not sore enough, if you didn’t hit your full potential.”
This dilemma inspired the duo to create ATHOS, a wearable technology company that produces shorts, crops and tops lined with waterproof (and dryer-proof!) electromyography (EMG) sensors. The sensors can record, measure and analyze the electric signal produced by the contraction of muscle fibers, and provides actionable feedback to the wearer about how hard, and how well, their body is working.
Until now, electromyography was pricey and not available to the everyday consumer unless they visited a hospital or high-end training facility. ATHOS’ tops and bottoms, however, are $99 each, which isn’t too bad when you think about the dent your last lululemon purchase put in your wallet. The only set back? To be able to see all the data the ATHOS EMG sensors collect you’ve got to shell out $199 for the Core, a tiny Bluetooth device that communicates with the Athos smartphone app.
Read more about ATHOS at TheVerge.com and pre-order your gear now at Liveathos.com.
