Metrics is defined as the “standards of measurement by which efficiency, performance, progress or quality of a plan, process or product can be assessed.”
According to Wikipedia, “Biomechanics is the study of the structure and function of biological systems such as humans…by means of the methods of mechanics,” which, scientifically, is concerned with the behavior of physical bodies when subjected to forces or displacements of some kind.
Xmetrics, the latest in wearable technology, takes these concepts a step further by refining the study of how humans move through water. That, combined with metrics (a method of measuring something, or the results obtained from this) allows this Italian startup company to do what no one has really done before: track swimmers’ progress, giving feedback on distance the swimmer has gone, how many laps completed, and other information vital to the swimmer, who is either pro or training for competitions. All in real-time.
Like many startups, to finance their product, they turned to crowdfunding site Indiegogo. For $125, early bird buyers can get a discount on one of 100 regular-level devices (FIT), which would normally have a retail price of $199 +shipping/handling. Or for a $199 (plus s/h) donation, you can get the XPRO tracker, made specifically for the professional swimmer. This normally would retail for $299 (plus s/h).
They are targeting their marketing at the occasional/non-competitive as well as the competitive/professional swimmer who want to know how they’re doing in the water and are seeking ways to improve their kick turn speed, or how fast their breaststroke is, for example.
What sets them apart from competitors? Their design. Whether they’re swimming the 100-meter backstroke, butterfly or a freestyle relay in a training session or in a competition, the athlete needs something lightweight, durable, and reliable to help them get to the next level.
They also need a trainer to let them know how they’re doing. With Xmetrics, they can have a virtual trainer telling them pertinent data as they swim a lap. Their video shows how their product is designed to work:
As of now, the trainer or coach is limited to using a stopwatch along with a calorie counter to time how long the swimmer took to swim a lap, but could only share this information with them after the training session was over. Xmetrics helps the swimmer by giving them data analysis that they can use for themselves or share with their trainer, coach, or teammates. The user can also upload their data to iPhone or Android device as well as a computer to track progress being made.
The XMetrics’ Co-Founders were very careful to check out their competitors to see how they could outshine them. Ucoach focuses on getting resources to athletics, tennis, coaches, etc. Finis Stroke Lab and Garmin are other competitors they looked at. What differentiates Xmetrics is there isn’t a monthly fee to be paid to access analytical data, as with Finis, and it isn’t as expensive as the $400 Garmin Swim Watch with Connect.
Let’s take a look at what features Xmetrics has to offer. By having the device securely attached to their goggles, as well as located at the back of the head, it can prevent swimmers from hitting the device against a wall while swimming. The earpieces fit snuggly and securely into the ear canal, ensuring that the audio feedback can be heard clearly while underwater.
The controls are simple to program, so it’s ready to use very quickly. This goes hand-in-hand with their approach to programming your training and customizing the types of feedback you get. If you want to know what your time is, per lap, for the 500-meter breaststroke versus the 500-meter freestyle relay, you can easily find this out. How? Xmetrics combines biomechanical and biological data, which are analyzed together, and this is how the device can deliver real time analytics.
This attention to detail is very telling once you know the people behind the device. The Albert Einstein-haired inventor, Andrea Rinaldo, is a former professional swimmer and coach to a participant in the London Olympics (800m relay). His passion to help others get better at their sport is evident based on the time he spends on his Reddit blog.
The Co-Founders and executive-level folks have done their work, ensuring their proof of concept is more than just words on paper. Their algorithm implementation is under the watchful eye of Davide Macagnano, and their Software Engineer, Stefano Perego, and Hardware Developer, Emanuele Vazzoler, round out the technical team, while Francesco Quartuccio leads their public relations and strategy segment.
They’ve found a production partner MR&D S.p.A., a leading company that designs, engineers, and manufactures products with high innovation content around the world, and are ready to launch in their home country of Italy, as well as in the U.S. and China.
The price points may seem a little high for the casual swimmer, but for someone looking to better their speed, or see how they are progressing compared with the goals they set for themselves, the data analytics Xmetrics produces are more than worth the price paid.