There are a lot of fitness trackers out there- the category exploded a couple of years ago, with dozens of companies jumping on the bandwagon before it turned out to be a fairly small market with a pretty niche appeal. Much like with smartwatches, a few major companies grabbed a lot of the market share, some crowdfunding successes and smaller players were acquired, closed, or have managed to find a dedicated audience. And that natural process has made many of the peripherals fairly similar to one another, with feature sets that aren’t as varied as you might expect.
Today’s product, the Kinematix TUNE, takes a different approach. Most trackers are based around a small pod, but the TUNE goes further, including a pair of custom insoles for far better analytics on what is actually happening with your feet. The downside is obvious- a lot of different sizes to worry about- but the upside is that you can gain a much better view on your kinematics and biomechanics, the way you move. This Portuguese firm isn’t worried as much about some of the traditional metics and isn’t meant to connect to heart rate monitors, but offers a pinpoint focus on things like heel striking steps and heel contact time. Where other systems are meant to boost your speed or set a training regimen, this one can help with things like posture, stability, balance, avoiding injuries, recovering after them, and improving your technique.
Each TUNE consists of a pair of small pods and two thin insoles, each equipped with two sensors that capture each and every step you take. The pods attach to the sides of your shoes and manage the data from the sensors, polling them up to ’1000 times per second’. Connect your Android device or iPhone via Bluetooth, download the free app, and you’ll be all set. The app will help you track things like cadence, the number of steps per minute- the lower the cadence, the higher the risk of overstriding with potential harmful consequences. And you can see each individual foot’s data, allowing you to view any asymmetry.
You do have more to recharge, but battery life is decent- 10 hours or more which should be enough for a few days of exercise unless you are marathon training. And the app is interesting, offering some suggested drills and exercises that start fairly generic but can learn from you over time, eventually creating what they call a personalized fitness plan. Wearing different shoes can affect the functionality, but you can use these insoles even with others. The pods are available in a few different colors (white, red and grey), and the Kinematix TUNE can be found online and in stores now for around $199. Easy to use, lightweight, you’ll certainly learn a lot of interesting information about how you run.