With the wearable technology industry taking off at a rapid pace, Athos has developed a next generation product that could revolutionize personal fitness. This venture-backed startup was created by two college students from the University of Waterloo. Dhananja Jayalath and Christopher Wiebe found frustration in having a desire to bulk up, but having no budget to hire a personal trainer. Their solution was Athos performance wear.
Athos is workout apparel that analyzes your body in motion and turns movement into meaning. It can measure muscle effort, muscle activation, heart rate, breathing rates, reps, left vs. right balance, cadence, and form. Athos comes as two garments—a base layer long-sleeve shirt and compression workout pants. These garments use sensors to track muscle activity on 22 muscle groups.The user simply wears Athos as a base layer so the sensors have contact with the skin and can measure your performance.
The activity is then sent to The Core, which is an analytics module of the sensor. Co-founder Dhananja Jayalath describes the Core as “essentially the computer that collects and analyzes all the stats and sends the data to the mobile app.” He believes the fabric of Athos is unique with “ECG sensors and muscle output sensors integrated into the clothing” which allows the user to “very accurately measure heart rate and muscle effort.”
The unique thing about Athos is its ability to capture data from multiple points. Multiple sensors in the clothing allow users to track information from their biceps, triceps, and quadriceps simultaneously.
Furthermore, Jayalath believes “by building the sensors into clothing we think it also makes it easy to use and remember, and helps create a routine.” A key aspect of Athos which differentiates it from other data-collecting wearables is the experience it creates. Athos gives you real time feedback so a user can refine their workout before its even finished. The benefit of personal trainers is that they can have a personal presence and observe your movements to tell you what you’re doing.
Athos has revolutionized this product to mimic this experience, because the sensors and app give a tailored insight into what your body is doing while you’re moving. Jayalath emphasizes “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.”
The real-world utility of this product is convenient, and it’s new take on interactive feedback can change people’s perspectives on fitness. The app allows people to stay informed on proper technique, and even get alerts if their form deviates from the desired result. Some women, Jayalath notes, avoid resistance training because they aren’t aware of the point when they’re going beyond toning to actually adding unwanted muscle. Athos can quantifiably tell them how much muscle exertion has been used and to what extent. It is giving greater insight to the users which initially was only available to people through expensive personal trainers.
Christopher Weibe describes the target market as “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.” Athos provides the ability to analyze performance so the users can reach their goals. With Athos, users can make their movements more efficient because they are getting more substantial feedback.
The electromyography technology used by the sensors, a technology used in the medical community for over 50 years, is now accessible to consumers which hasn’t been possible before. This is very exciting for wearables, because technology is continuing to make fitness so uniquely customizable to the consumer. If startups like Athos continue to revolutionize how technology can be used to enhance the fitness experience, there is no limit on how innovative the industry could be.