COO & Co-Founder Alfred Luger At Runtastic HQ

This week’s Smart Health roundup features park benches that tell your weight, a skin patch that tells you when it’s time to moisturize, and a fitness tracker with a simple design that packs all the features you need to keep fit. .

Park benches in Moscow to help people get fit

Andrei Lapshin, the director of Moscow’s northern Sokolniki park, revealed that 20 or so smart benches will be installed in the park by the end of the year. What makes these park benches different from normal seating is their ability to measure a sitting person’s weight, display it on a screen, provide health tips and recommend the nearest fitness centers.

The park benches cost up to $1,300 apiece, and will be funded by unnamed investors. Other parks in Moscow, Fili and Taganka parks, have expressed interest in these smart park benches. The idea behind this came from an initiative at a Netherlands fitness club that installed special benches that weigh people at bus stops.

Smart skin patch

Researchers at the Northwestern University and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are looking into a smart skin patch that can quickly alert a person or medical professional if the person is having cardiovascular problems, or even if their skin is just a little dry.

The smart skin patch uses thousands of tiny liquid crystals on a flexible substrate that sense transient temperature changes at the skin’s surface. The patch changes color depending on whether the change is related to cardiovascular health or skin hydration.

Researchers working on this project believe that it could be the next big thing in wearable tech, as the skin patch can be worn for long periods without any discomfort. Cosmetic companies can greatly benefit from this technology as it can easily determine a consumer’s skin hydration without being too intrusive.

“The device is very practical,” said Yihui Zhang, co-author and research assistant professor. “When your skin is stretched, compressed, or twisted, the device stretches, compresses or twists right along with it.”

Runtastic Orbit

Runtastic GmbH offers a fitness-tracking device that may resemble another popular fitness trackers, but packs a bigger punch. Called the Runtastic Orbit, it is able to track steps, active minutes, calories burned, sleep cycles, goals and ambient lighting. It is waterproof up to 300 feet, which allows for more versatility when it comes activities in which a user can engage. The device also features an OLED display, alarm and Bluetooth Smart Technology.

Another thing that makes Runtastic Orbit different is that its strap is easily interchangeable, which means you can choose to wear it on your wrist like a watch or use a clip somewhere more discreet. It charges using a USB cable, with a single charge lasting five to seven days.

It pairs seamlessly with the Runtastic Me app and the Runtastic Ecosystem, as data gathered by the Runtastic Orbit can be viewed using the mobile app or the web service. But because of the Orbit Connect feature, data available in the Runtastic Me app can also be accessed using the device. This allows wearers to check progress even when they’re in the middle of their workout routine. Runtastic Orbit is available for $120 and comes with two straps and a clip.

photo credit: Elvert Barnes via photopin cc