Valencell is a small tech company from North Carolina that is empowering the next wave of consumer wearables with biometric data that offers unmatched accuracy. Valencell’s biometric sensor technology has been clinically validated in earbuds, armbands, wristbands and more. Their Perform Tek sensor is one of the only sensors on the market that is accurate enough to receive in-activity real-time biometric data. They were one of the first companies on the biometric data scene and hold many patents on the technology. Cutting edge technology health and fitness companies are partnering with Valencell to bring these biometrics to your everyday life. They created a sensor small enough to fit in earbuds and can be used in countless other devices and use cases. Valencell’s goal is to make biometric data gathering as easy and seamless as possible. The team saw that everyone uses ear buds while working out and that was a great place to start. The fascinating thing was that the ear just happened to be a great spot to gather the data using the optical sensor. Many of the current generation devices use optical sensors for heart rate readings and many suffer from inaccurate data collection due to noise. The Perform Tek sensor has a set of algorithms that filter out the noise caused by movement, skin, sweat and other issues that can cause issues with the data readings. The Perform Tek sensor is one of the few sensors on the market that has been clinically proven to be accurate during in exercise activities. In 2014, some of the major technology companies like Microsoft, Garmin and Intel all released products that provide biometric data available at a glance. One of the major complaints with most new devices is the fear that the data gathered is not accurate. How useful is data if it can’t be relied on? If you read the reviews of most fitness wearables, you will find complaints about inaccurate data. Valencell hopes that their Perform Tek brand will be synonymous with fitness biometrics as Intel is to computer processing. They hope to be the name that you think of when you need reliable and intelligent data on biometrics. How the sensor works:
The first Perform Tek licensed devices hit the market in late 2012 and early 2013. The sensor is getting better each year and you will see even more products that license the Perform Tek sensor and its technology in 2015 and 2016. Here are a few of the devices that are using the Perform Tek sensor: Atlas Wearables Wristband [Atlas Website]
ATLAS WEARABLES
The Atlas Band
Jabra Sport Pulse Headphones [Amazon]
iRiver On Heartbeat Headphones [Amazon]
Scosche Rhythm Smart Arm Band [Amazon]
LG Heart Rate Headphones [Amazon]
SMS Audio Bio-Sport Headphones [Amazon] Most of the devices received very good reviews, but some of them have issues with the apps provided by the different companies. I assume that these are all issues that can be worked out. I did not find many reviews that disputed the accuracy of the data.
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