Think the athletic wearables market is unfairly geared toward runners, walkers, and other participants of cardiovascular exercise? Lament no longer. Meet the brand new Rithmio Edge app from gesture-recognition company Rithmio. It’s a weightlifting app that pairs with an Android Wear smartwatch to automatically track weightlifting routines, promising to help “athletes better understand their progress.”
So how does it work? According to Rithmio, the app first “learns” your form for each exercise, and is then capable of recognizing each activity — bicep curls, cleaner presses, and so on. Edge then tracks your reps, and automatically populates a workout log as you make your way throughout your set.
When you’re finished, Edge displays a range of insights on the muscle groups you targeted, as well as standard metrics like active time, and a summary of your workout. You’ll also receive “exercise-level analytics,” which include charts and personal records.
“Measuring movement well is an exceptionally challenging math problem, especially when it comes to the human body,” said Adam Tilton, CEO and co-founder of Rithmio. The technology powering Edge has been in development for more than five years, and promises to be robust enough to distinguish between exercises as similar as a hammer curl and a bicep curl. “We built a better way to track our own gym workouts that led us to create this solution. We’re excited to share Edge with the community to help others better understand their progress and make the most out of their time in the gym,” Tilton added.
Within Edge, you’ll be able to track sets and reps, duration, and your weight (though you’ll have to adjust the weight manually). You’ll also be able to track progress over time, and active time versus rest time, resulting in a truly comprehensive view of your workout. And moving forward, Rithmio is looking for ways to make Edge more robust still, with workout plans, greater post-workout analytics, and tracking for other exercises.
Rithmio Edge is available now for free in the Google Play store, but be warned — you’ll need your own Android Wear smartwatch to take full advantage of its capabilities.