CALM: wearable ECG monitor for fitness enthusiasts

April 13, 2017 Marko Maslakovic Crowdfunding, Health tracker, Stress management 2 min read

While there is no shortage of heart rate training chest straps, until now ECG (EKG) monitors have been inaccessible to amateur fitness enthusiasts.

Qardio has been working for a couple of years on QardioCore, a smart wearable ECG monitor. The device is available for pre-order and is due to start shipping in the near future. Now a Japanese startup is preparing to launch a wearable ECG gadget of their own.

Dubbed as CALM, the device is meant to work as a companion with other fitness trackers which track around the clock metrics such as steps, calories, distance. CALM builds on this data to give you deeper insight into your physical and mental condition during training and sleep.

Essential reading: Best heart rate training chest straps

The device can be attached via an adjustable chest belt or a disposable gel pad. Once in place, it will sense your movements and ECG signal from your heart. The ECG signal shows the “shape” of each heart beat and can tell you more about your physical and mental condition than heart rate alone. The accompanying app then uses this data to let you know if you are pushing too hard or slacking off.

CALM not only senses your physical movements, it also sees what your heart and lungs are up to while you are asleep. This means you can get more in-depth analysis of your sleep quality and breathing, and use this data to try different things during the day to see how it affects your kip time.

Finally, you also get a calmness score. This is a propriatery metric which combines your relaxation, focus, physical stress, and mental stress. It is derived from heart rate variability analysis and respiration, which corresponds to your autonomic nervous system.

CALM comes with the sensor, charging cable, adjustable chest strap, and disposable gel pads. It can run up to 3 days on a full charge. In stamina mode it will keep going for up to 7 days (LED off, reduced data rate).

Just a few hours in, the campaign has already surpassed its rather modest $10,000 goal. Shipping is scheduled to start in August.