March 25, 2005
Phone as a motivational coach for joggers
Siemens has developed a software for music players that makes it possible to speed up or slow down the music in sync with how fast a jogger is running, without affecting the pitch of the musical selection, writes Noticias. This turns an MP3 player in a cell phone into a personal trainer. At CeBIT, visitors even had the opportunity to test the software on a treadmill.
This software teamed up with a step counter is integrated in a device worn on the hip. Data related to the running style is transmitted to the phone via Bluetooth, and the runner's pace appears on the display. The software also factors in the length of the jogger's stride to show the running speed, as on a speedometer, and reports the calories being burned. With the MP3 music playing, the software recognizes the music's beat and adjusts it to match the runner's pace. This changes only the speed at which the music is played but has no effect on its pitch.
Professionals can even specify a jogging pace via the cell phone, and the music is then adjusted to match the pace. By connecting the phone to a PC, users can also set this profile themselves to program a run that, for example, builds in intensity and includes slower intervals in which to recover energy. As motivational aids, cheers of encouragement and spectators' applause can also be mixed in.
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