(Courtesy of Soul Electronics)
Consumer audio company Soul Electronics has announced the launch of Run Free Pro Bio, a pair of AI-powered, wireless earphones with real-time voice coaching. The new earbuds are touted as the world’s first with gait analysis that tracks a runner’s cadence, symmetry, step length and width, balance, and even head tilt angle.
The goal for Run Free Pro Bio is to serve as a runner’s companion and coach, monitoring activity and providing feedback to prevent injuries. A comprehensive data dashboard is available at the conclusion of each run. The earphones are based on the Beflex BiomechEngine platform.
“The Run Free Pro Bio not only provides our customers with superior sound quality, but with a myriad of special features that allows them to improve their running performance,” said Angus Tsang, Soul Electronics’ VP of Engineering, in a news release. “We wanted to release the world’s first AI earphones with Gait Analysis that makes running more effective for any user, taking into consideration the time of day they choose to run, whether it is outdoors or at a gym and providing them with the best technology possible.”
The earphones, which were first announced at CES, are currently available for pre-order in the U.S. and will expand to the European market in the fourth quarter of 2018.
SportTechie Takeaway
The market of runners and fitness enthusiasts is massive, and unlike other tracking technologies, there may be relatively little friction to these AI versions. Many athletes already listen to music anyway, so there’s no need to adapt to wearing something new. And few recreational runners have had formal training, so the prospect of coaching a more efficient gait could have wide-ranging benefits.
