Muscle activation device helps fitness junkies improve their form

The exercise stick named Axon uses LED lights to help users gauge their level of force when performing a move in the gym.

US-based Disruptive Force has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund its exercise device Axon, a smart stick that uses LED to help users understand the level of power they are exuding. Alongside its partner app AxonFit, Axon enables performance tracking and personalized full-body workout guidance, helping users perfect their form when exercising and understanding how their body moves.

Axon measures the force applied as the user pushes the sensing end into a study object such as a floor or wall. The device then reports the measured force both through the instant built-in LED light display and on the app. The LED starts as yellow and when a rep begins, the yellow guidance light travels towards the end of the device that is making a connection to a wall, for example. The lights then turn green as the user exerts force and meets their individual target. Axon collects information about each rep and each set and presents that information through its built-in display. The per-set information includes the number of reps performed, the maximum force applied by the user over all reps, and the total time under tension during the set.

The AxonFit app allows users to access a library of exercises and workouts created by certified personal trainers. Users can choose workouts or create their own, collating data as it is transferred from the use of the smart stick. The app also works as a social platform, as results can be shared with peers. Axon is crowdfunding on Kickstarter until August 17, with the target of USD 50,000.

Smart fitness devices are a hugely popular market, with the likes of the smart hula-hoop that creates a technology-driven workout and the wearable patch that analyses an athlete’s sweat as they work out being just two examples of recent innovations. How could a smart fitness device optimise your workout?