Boltt, Decoding Fitness Through Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence

If you are already thinking about your 'stay fit' New Year resolution then make sure you get to know Boltt, a wearable that promises to "beat your personal trainer on price and performance."

Meet Boltt, the wearable, decoding fitness through machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence. (AI) An idea born about 18 months ago by founders Arnav and Aayushi Kishore, Boltt is powered by an AI Health Assistant who goes by the name B, Boltt Smart Wearables brag Artificial Intelligence designed to simplify the lives of the health-conscious. Simply put, B uses machine learning algorithms and AI which then allows it to better use and process the data provided by the user.

With our interest piqued, it was not long before we learnt that B is the star running the show. As the impressive AI, B is a health assistant designed to help you stay active, eat healthy and sleep better. Designed to analyze your body movements in real time, we love how B is able to not only give you voice cues to run faster and perform better, but the technology has been created so it is able to give you more personalized coaching. Basically B learns to get to know you.

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On the thought behind the AI, Boltt founders told Wareable, “There’s one type of AI and that’s in the back end. We have one AI coach on the wellness side and another on the fitness side. To create this coach there was a lot of knowledge we had to gain. We went to coaches, teachers, mentors to gain that knowledge on how to impart that coaching. The problem with AI, is that if you treat it like an AI, it will not work for long. We are trying to give birth to a personality that doesn’t feel like AI.”

Boltt, Decoding Fitness Through Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence

When AI Meets Fashion

Boltt wearables come in the shape of a connected shoe and a fitness band. The shoes have been engineered to effortlessly improve your training intensity and sports performance. With the ability to optimize potential, the shoes are embedded with a powerful ‘stride sensor’ that will decode your performance in real time and track instantaneous speed, distance, calories, pace and much more.

Boltt, Decoding Fitness Through Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence

On how the shoes came about Arnav Kishore, a sport enthusiast who played tennis at a professional level, explains, “We decided to develop this smart shoe carrying out a lot of research and R&D in the process. For the first time we had a prototype and it was our own. We tied up with Garmin for this platform using sensors that are highly specialized in tracking motion, which means you can track real time speed, distance and cadence.

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We implemented this technology into our shoe today.” Aayushi Kishore adds, “When you look at the smart shoe, there’s only a few brands that have attempted something. There’s Nike and Adidas, but for them it was just one product and it was exorbitantly priced. We are talking about bringing together a premium sports shoe with advanced technologies.”

Boltt, Decoding Fitness Through Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence

The powerful stride sensor I mentioned earlier is a lightweight sensor that is embedded in the shoe. This, in turn, then gives the shoes the power to capture your biometrics with every step, whilst recording your speed, cadence, strides, 3D foot acceleration, ground impact time and velocity.

“We are trying to give a birth to a personality that doesn’t feel like AI.”

Besides the connected shoe, Boltt will also be bringing to market their very own Smart Band. Powerful, lightweight and stylish, the band has been created in a way that the wearable will become like a second skin. Tracking your activity and sleep, the lifestyle tracker has been designed to help you achieve your fitness goals.

Boltt, Decoding Fitness Through Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence
Co-founder of Boltt Sports Technologies Aayushi Kishore

On the specifics of their wearables, Arnav Kishore explains, “Boltt’s AI will overcome this by giving coaching two ways. It’ll provide audio feedback during workouts and training on real-time activities in order to correct problems such as over-striding as well as in order to get the most out of the time invested and workout plan.” Kishore also adds, “It will also analyse what you eat and how you sleep to make recommendations on how to improve your overall lifestyle.”

 A Wearable That Will Act As Your Motivational PA

Other perks that come with this AI cheerleader include important features such as the ability to keep an eye on your intensity so as to ensure that you get the most out of your workout without fear of injuries. Also, the ability to give you feedback on YOUR ideal speed, pace, stride, technique and form. Then there is our favourite perk, B can talk to you via texts. What this means is that your wearable will act as your motivational PA, encouraging you via daily bite sized tasks whilst also giving you 24*7 support.

Boltt, Decoding Fitness Through Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence

With plans to make the Boltt platform open source for other wearables to tap into, prospective users can expect the first batch of products to be available soon. The best thing to do, if your New Year’s resolution is to lead a healthier lifestyle, is to sign up for their early bird emails that will inform you when their Kickstarter campaign has launched. Who knows, 2017 could be the year that you side step the over-enthusiastic personal trainer of yesterday and instead invest in technology that will personally guide you to a better way of living a healthier lifestyle.

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