If
you are a subscriber to the TopCoder Blog (please subscribe top left if
you are not) you have seen quite a number of posts over the last few
months that cover the Quantified Self movement and individual
applications and devices propelling the space forward. Just last week we
covered an innovative device/mobile app combination
dubbed ithlete that accurately measures your HRV (Heart Rate Variance)
in just 60 seconds time. This is a measure that most physicians don’t
even calculate, yet it’s paying huge dividends for world-class athletes
who want to better understand how to optimize their training regimen,
and therefore their “game time” performance. And that in and of itself
is a microcosm of the entire movement. Individuals crave better data
that is visualized for them and helps them make personal choices that
improve their performance. The Quantified Self is the ultimate
consumerization of IT and it is just getting started.
Luckily
for TopCoder and we think for the readers of this blog, the Cambridge,
MA area is a hot bed of activity in this burgeoning space and a short
drive from TopCoder HQ in Glastonbury, CT. Weeks ago, we took the road
trip up to Cambridge and the surrounding areas and filmed three very
unique companies all doing rather different things in the Quantified
Self space. Below is the first video in what is a 4-part series.
This video:
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Gives you a great understanding of the Quantified Self movement and why it is disruptive
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Discusses what will help Quantified Self ditch the niche realm and move on to the masses
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Looks deeper into what personalization via technology can truly empower
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Asks what advances we can expect in the near-future in the Quantified Self space
Below
the video, please take a moment to learn a bit about the companies
featured in this series: Zeo, Affectiva and InsideTracker
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1f5_gimdC3g&feature=player_embedded
3 Companies Aiming for Disruption
Affectiva
wants you to know it’s OK to cry… or laugh, or get angry for that
matter. They measure emotion through a wearable wrist-band device,
sophisticated algorithms and a visualized dashboard. If you begin to
think of the markets who would enjoy capturing accurate emotional data,
you can understand why the team at Affectiva is a bit giddy. www.affectiva.com
InsideTracker
is delivering more accurate and individualized health, nutrition and
wellness recommendations by tracking a growing list of “bio-markers”
identified through laboratory bloodwork. They help you optimize
and make better decisions regarding what goes into your body. A great
consequence of more consistent testing is also the implications this
will have to prevent and catch disease at extraordinarily early phases. www.insidetracker.com
Zeo believes
the path to improved individual performance lies – quite literally – in
how you sleep. Their device, software and mobile technologies track
your sleep performance and deliver back quantified analytics that are
changing people’s lives. Their commitment to an Open API and what is
already being created on top of it would give anyway paying attention
very sweet dreams. www.myzeo.com
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