Athos: Smart Fabric Measures Every Breath, Heartbeat and Muscle Exertion

A smart fabric plus an accelerometer core creates the next level in quantified performance clothing. I spoke with Athos founding team members, Dhananja Jayalath, Chris Wiebe, and Joel Seligstein to learn more about the technology behind Athos.

What’s so special about Athos fabric?

DJ: “The cloth has sensors that are built directly into the fabric. With ECG sensors and muscle output sensors integrated into the clothing, you can very accurately measure heart rate and muscle effort. The Core is the analytics module of the sensors – it’s essentially the computer that collects and analyzes all the stats and sends the data to the mobile app.”

Why did you opt for clothing instead of a wrist / arm wearable?

DJ: “We wanted to capture data from multiple points. We wanted to capture info from your biceps, quads and triceps, which our fabric lets us do. By building the sensors into clothing we think it also makes it easy to use and remember, and helps create a routine.” Since all the sensors are built in, you’ll be able to measure heart rate without a chest strap and get real-time responsive input on how to best train for your goals.

“We believe that apparel is going to get smarter, it’s not just something you cover yourself up with anymore. Athletes will get an advantage in training with Athos unlike what a simple wicking shirt or compression shorts provide.”

Who is your target audience?

Chris: “People who are going on 6am rides or heading to the gym 3-5 times a week with the goal of getting better and stronger – that is our target market.” Athos apparel is focused on people who want to get better at their fitness goals and those who want to analyze their performance and continue to do better. The company’s differentiation factor is that they aren’t trying to motivate stationary people to move more – they want to help athletes be more efficient and train harder. Athos would be an ideal partner for sports teams, events like the Olympics, gyms, and trainers.

“We’ve talked internally about how our data is good enough for pros to use so that they can train for their events but still approachable enough for the average consumer to use.”

How is the app user experience?

Joel: “We are using the app to give tailored insight to what your body is doing. For weightlifters counting reps is important, but if you are riding a bike, cadence and balance and pushing vs. pulling on the pedal is important. Long term, we’ll continue to iterate and make things customized.“

What is the key takeaway here?

DJ: “We are not just about collecting data – we are about giving the user a great experience. We are not just about the hardware – we want to deliver performance and comfort in something that is unique and useful.”
 

Basis: Multiple Sensors Track Exercise and Sleep Accurately and Automatically

Basis is a supercharged fitness tracker. The watch uses multiple sensors to track heart rate patterns throughout the day as well as a perspiration and skin temperature changes to measure exertion levels. Basis uses these data points to paint a more exact picture of calories burned and sleep patterns.

I took the watch on a 6 mile run to see how well the tracking worked, and I was impressed. The data is compiled clearly and accurately, so you can monitor your daily activity and make small changes to be more consistent. The online portal compares activity metrics on a double axis so you can see changes in your heart rate compared to calories burned or steps taken.

The beauty in the watch is that there is no need for the user to signal activity changes. As you can see from my data, I took a nap from 5-6:30PM. Other fitness trackers would note this as ‘idle time’ but Basis knows that I fell asleep because it is tracking my heart rate, which dropped and became more steady while I was sleeping. Basis emails me whenever I reach a goal – like running an Afternoon Lap, and it syncs my data via Bluetooth to my iPhone app.

While the watch has a larger face than an UP band or Fitbit, the added sensor functionality gives it additional analytics power. If you are running with a Garmin or Suunto already, you won’t notice the Basis on your wrist. For people who prefer a smaller wearable device, the technology will only get more compact. This is definitely one company to follow.

Founder Interview: Matt Mattox, Co-Founder and VP of Products at Axial Exchange

I spoke with Matt Mattox, Co-Founder and VP of Products at Axial Exchange last week to learn more about Axial’s patient engagement software. They are currently working with 13 health systems, encompassing 70 hospitals – I downloaded the University of Colorado Health app as an example.

The app makes it easy to search for physicians in your vicinity under your health system, track and manage medications, as well as monitor changes in your body – anything from migraines to glucose readings. All of this information (plus more, like syncing your Fitbit), is consolidated into one place.

Matt believes that medication management is the most important feature of the app. “Not adhering to medication is a $100BN+ problem. We believe that if there is an adjustment to meds, the patient should know at once, and be reminded to change his intake.”

So how is this app different from other ones on the market? Matt gives an example, “If a patient has congestive heart failure and is using a weight tracker – his physician should know when there is a spike in weight. When that patient visits his care provider, we make it easy to create and share a formatted report of his health data so his physician can see what’s going on.” On the provider side, hospitals also have access to an analytics dashboard where they can monitor engagement.

As a patient, you might be using an app by Axial Exchange already and not even know it. The company doesn’t promote itself; instead Axial works with health systems to market the app to patients.

I asked Matt if giving a doctor too much patient data could be a bad thing. “We try to make the information count. For example, if a patient has diabetes, there are really only a few important things he needs to remember – don’t drink carbs, don’t eat foods you can buy in a convenience store or gas station – we try to boil down health information into actionable advice. On the tracker front, we don’t anticipate that all our patients will pour over their kidney function data and every lab value, but our providers do want to know if they are sleeping well and if they are taking medications on time and following a diet. Our goal is to focus on sustainable engagement, where clients know that the app is part of the prescription and they use it daily to manage their health.”

Axial is working on designing a disease management application as well, which will offer a clear set of learning and tracking objectives for self-managed care. I’m very excited for Axial Exchange’s growth, and hope the app comes to my health system soon. They truly offer the analytics and services needed to create successful patient engagement and promote healthy living.

Kishan Shah: 200 Pounds Lost, the President of Downsize Fitness Continues to Inspire

I met Kishan Shah in 2007, when we both interned on the trading floor at UBS Investment Bank. While he might describe himself as heavy set back then, I remember his inquisitive personality and warm smile. In truth, he was halfway through his weight loss journey, which started in 2005 when he hit 400 pounds. In 2007 he was down to 250 pounds. Kishan hit 230 pounds when he was leaving Dubai, where he had worked at consulting firm, Oliver Wyman, after spending time at a mixed martial arts training camp in Thailand for a month (he dreamed of training like Rocky when he was a kid). Although Kishan hit a small roadblock, gaining 40 pounds while working at an investment bank in Chicago, he moved to New York to work at Goldman Sachs and got down to 195 pounds a year and a half ago using their onsite gym. He’s been at 195 pounds ever since.

Kishan surprised me this past spring with a call to discuss healthcare technology and fitness. Although he had worked in finance his entire career, he wanted to focus more on his passion – bringing his personal experience of losing over 200 pounds through diet and exercise to others. Kishan soon after joined Downsize Fitness as President and has been a public health advocate ever since, even speaking with First Lady Michelle Obama about his experience.

I asked Kishan to share some of his experiences and expertise with us:

When did you first realize there was something wrong with your weight, and when did you start to do something about it?

Taken from my article on Greatist:  In 2005, I hit my turning point. It wasn’t the impending amputation of my right foot from diabetic complications that provoked me to change my health routines — it was the embarrassment of shopping for a suit. I was at a store for large men when the tailor’s five-foot tape measure could not fit around my 62-inch waist. I saw the pity in his eyes, the tears in mine, and I promptly exited the store, determined to turn things around.

Many people yo-yo diet when they are trying to lose weight, how did you keep yourself motivated at first, and how do you continue to motivate yourself?

I spent my first 19 years yo-yo dieting and was generally unsure of how the human body worked.  I believe changing one’s own environment is the single most important factor towards successful, sustainable weight loss.  That’s why at Downsize, our secret sauce is community.  We make sure to provide all of the tools for people to live happy, healthier lives – whether that means fitness training, nutritional advice, support groups, events with affiliates and partners, a kickball league, you-name-it.  We don’t advocate supplements/magic-pills/or any sort of quick fixes.

Today, it’s less about my own weight and more about helping others.  I personally receive at least 10 emails a week about how my story has inspired others.  It’s the greatest feeling in the world.

Do you use any health apps or devices?

I have used a Nike FuelBand in the past.  We use a quantified-self device called MYZONE to track our members’ heart rates and calorie burn in real-time at our gyms.  We also use an Inbody Scale to provide a detailed body composition analysis to our members at Downsize.

While I love these devices and enjoy using them, I personally weigh myself once a quarter – I judge my progress based upon how I feel and how my clothes fit.  As a former Wall-Streeter, I am intensely analytical and appreciate data.  However, I have come to the realization that my fitness and nutrition program’s ultimate output is to make me happier and healthier.  I try not to be bogged down in the numbers and instead focus on a deeper level of awareness to understand what my body and mind are actually telling me.

You have extensive experience working at some of the world’s most well-known financial institutions. What made you make the switch to be President at Downsize Fitness?

Downsize provided me with an opportunity to do the following:

1. Focus on a population segment that I care deeply about.  From my personal experience, being overweight, I felt society ridiculed and ostracized me.  The traditional fitness industry has ignored this population and the medical community has provided minimal support.
2. Create human-level impact.  Our members love coming to Downsize, no company has made sustainable weight loss fun – it’s a drill sergeant bringing you to tears in the gym or a juice cleanse which makes you starve.  We’ve had members kick their insulin injection.  We’re literally saving lives and making people happier on a daily basis.
3. Be an operator.  Growing an organization and mentoring talent excite me.  I absolutely love what I do – I see a relationship between my effort and the number of lives I can touch.  There’s nothing more impactful than that.

What are your passions?

Other than Downsize:

1. Teaching.  I want to help others in an educational setting – whether that means entrepreneurship, business lessons, or general career advice.  I’ve taught at Columbia and my alma mater University of Michigan and have designed my own course at General Assembly – I hope to teach at more schools and through different online platforms in 2014.
2. Hip hop music.  It represents the hustle and ability to connect with people from all walks of life.  Check out my interview with The Phat Startup bridging hip hop and business.

In a perfect world, from a health perspective, what would you like to see?

The AMA finally recognized obesity as a disease which is a great first step to engage the medical community.  At Downsize, we hired our Chief Medical Advisor who has helped his patients lose 80,000 pounds.  We are working closely with providers to generate happier and healthier communities.

What tips or recommendations would you give readers who are in the process of losing weight?

1. Execute.  Even on my weekends, I wake up at 6AM and I am in the gym by 7AM.  It’s extremely satisfying to have woken up, get in a great workout, eat breakfast, catch up with friends over Skype in Europe and the Middle East all before noon.  It may sound like a chore to do this, but your body adapts to being more active.
2. Read.  While I may have lost a few pounds, I am continually learning about healthy foods, new exercises and additional spiritual techniques to de-stress and focus.  I love the concept of growing stronger and smarter every day.
3. Listen.  Play therapist and listen to your family, friends and peers about their views on food habits and exercise routines.  I love hearing different perspectives and constantly tinker with my own personal (and Downsize’s) approach to keep things interesting.
4. Rest.   I hope that everyone takes time to rest during the weekend.  As an introvert, I look forward to that special time each week that I can spend alone, away from our increasingly connected world to simply unwind.  It recharges my emotional batteries, rests my muscles from my workouts, clears my mind and restores my ambition for the coming week.

Health 2.0: How to Use Data Around You to Lead a Healthier Life

Health 2.0 once again exceeded my expectations with their 7^th Annual Fall Conference, this year in Santa Clara. Needless to say, I have too much to share in just one post. Today I’ll focus on Tuesday’s morning hot topic, Big Data. In rapid fire, leaders in health data aggregation and comprehension spoke and presented demos.

Here is a snapshot of a few companies that presented in Big Data: Tools and Applications for Individuals.

Ben Wolin, Co-Founder and CEO, Everyday Health

• Everyday Health has self-learning data algorithms that personalized your healthcare exploration. Using over 6.9 billion data points, 4.5 billion newsletter opens and many fancy data algorithms, they are able to tailor healthcare information for you
• Essentially, they are the Pandora for health, but with much more data
• They have proved $2.3 billion in healthcare savings so far

Gideon Mantel, Executive Chairman, Treato

• Treato lets patients comment on their prescription drug use and then shows how those drugs fare alongside their comparable medications
• Using crowdsourced patient data, you can easily see which medications cause which types of problems for patients
• Below, Tecfidera (BG-12) has worse feedback then Copaxone and Tysabri for MS treatments. You can dig in deeper on the website to see exactly why, and what patients have listed as top concerns for the drug

Philippe Schwartz, President, Withings

• This year Withings, maker of the smart body analyzer scale and blood pressure monitor, has come out with an activity tracker, the Withings Pulse
• The device can differentiate between walking and running automatically as well as measure your heart beat
• A more detailed post on the Pulse to come!

John De Souza, President and CEO, MedHelp

• MedHelp has created apps to track a variety of health events, such as women’s health, diet and mental health
• They are releasing an app that lets you get instant feedback on your lab results, and grants you access to health coaches who can give you advice when something doesn’t look right (such as cutting back on salt if your lab tests show high cholesterol)
• The app also allows for involvement from your friends and family into helping you keep a healthy lifestyle. As Peter Tippett, CMO & VP of Verizon said, “Social is what drives change in individuals – it’s the little nudge that helps you quit smoking, it’s not you, it is your surround sound.”

Marvin Ammori, Co-Founder and CEO, Silica Labs

• Marvin showed us how Google Glass can be used in healthcare, from recording a doctor-patient interaction so that the patient can rewatch the interaction later, or by recording a surgery so that a specialist far away can help, or by creating a surgery checklist for a surgeon in the operating room
• Glass can even be used in the battlefield to tap into the activity monitors of soldiers to tell a medic which injured fighter needs the most immediate help

Bill Davenhall, Global Manager, Health and Human Services, ESRI

• I’ve posted on ESRI before – I think it is an excellent tool to see geographic health information
• The ESRI Geomedicine application lets you see the heart attack rate as well as the toxic release inventory of an area
• Every triangle is something that is bad for your health in your neighborhood
• The dashboard also gives a walk score (San Francisco at 97, is excellent)

Japan: Healthy Eating Makes an Impact

During these past three weeks spent in Asia, I’ve noticed that the citizens of Japan are generally, as a whole, very healthy. In fact, for the past 20 years, Japan has been ranked number one in the world in both life expectancy and healthy life expectancy rates. Experts contribute this mainly to diet – traditional Japanese food is low in fat and cholesterol, which are main contributors to heart disease.

Now I’m not suggesting that you incorporate tofu, seaweed, fish, rice and miso into your daily diet, but in terms of looking at the health of Japan versus the health of the United States these past few decades as a longitudinal study, cutting down on saturated fats and complex sugars becomes obvious to maintaining good health.

To be transparent, as I ate the aforementioned five ingredients three times a day for a week in Japan, I noticed that the Japanese do like their salt. Heavy salt intake can lead to other issues including high blood pressure, which coincidentally is one of the major risk factors for death among adults in Japan. Nonetheless, this trip has made it exceptionally clear to me what cutting down on saturated fats and sugar can do for my health long term.

Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion, Kyoto); Even the train food is healthy and well proportioned (Shinkansen Bullet Train); Typical breakfast in Tokyo

BioBeats: Adaptive Media Blends Heart With Music

BioBeats has merged entertainment and healthcare into their first experimental app, Pulse. Experiment #2 is coming soon – BioMuse. While Pulse is fun – your heart beat drives the rhythm and force of the music, the main goal for BioBeats is to change the sensory settings around you to improve your health and/or entertainment factor. An example would be playing more upbeat music to make you run faster or changing the music to something slower when your heart rate reaches its peak. On the entertainment side, knowing how a person’s biometrics react to a scene in a movie could encourage movie producers to change the music/lighting to engage with the way a person feels. The company is “built on a cloud-based responsive platform designed to support the management of chronic conditions and general wellness,” so I’m sure they are working on clinical and hospital functioning apps as well.

BioBeats and Far East Movement created an event that was powered by over 1.5 million heart beats, see the video they made below:

Turn Up The Love from BioBeats Inc. on Vimeo.

Scanadu Scout: A Medical Tricorder Dr. McCoy Would Want

Scanadu is building products that enable users to monitor their health at any time, any place. The company is focused on wireless devices that sync to a smart phone app to show users health data, which can lead to informed health triage.

The Scanadu Scout, widely proclaimed as a “medical grade Tricorder” can measure heart rate, body temperature, respiratory rate, blood pressure, ECG, emotional stress and more. How does it work? Place the Scout on your forehead for 10 seconds and your stats will be instantly displayed on your phone app. The makers of the Scout want it to be a FDA recognized medical device. They are offering users an exploratory version of the device and asking them to opt-in to initial clinical studies. Scanadu is a participant in the Qualcomm Tricorder X-Prize and I am certainly excited to see what other healthcare forward technologies will be created from the competition.

Jawbone UP: Finally, One Fitness Platform to Sync Them All

After learning about and testing various wearable devices (including the Nike FuelBand, the Fitbit One, the Basis, etc.) I settled on the Jawbone UP band for myself.

Today, Jawbone announced that it will acquire BodyMedia (which had a large presence at CES this year), as well as open the UP platform so that developers can create apps and tools to integrate with the current Jawbone software. The approximate $100 million acquisition of BodyMedia will give Jawbone access to their wireless wearables and VUE Patch technology, further cementing Jawbone’s place in the health and wellness space. The UP platform opened today with ten partners, including Withings and RunKeeper. The open API will soon follow. This new integration will sync your data from various applications onto the UP platform where everything (your weight, blood pressure, running distance, etc.) can be viewed in one place. I’m very pleased with this type of application management system and I know that I made the right choice in using Jawbone as my main health tracker.

Omnio: Medical Knowledge at your Fingertips

Physicians Interactive is a leader in healthcare information and mobile decision support tools, and through their acquisition of Skyscape.com, they have recently launched the app Omnio. Omnio for the iPad creates a medical information and news dashboard and lets users customize it through an impressive drug and news offering. There is a comprehensive drug guide (including a drug interaction analyzer), over 200 essential medical calculators, clinical text references and articles if you want to dig a little deeper into diseases and medications and a continuous, curated news stream focused on your interests. The app is especially useful for healthcare professionals who need specific information daily, but I found it just as engaging – especially the medical calculators.