Portable fitness device motivates users with charitable incentives

Striiv is a portable fitness device that motivates users to exercise through games and personal challenges, as well as offering donations to charity in return for physical exertion.

It was over a year ago that we featured Switch2Health, a wristband for kids that awards redeemable points whenever the wearer exercises. Now we’ve discovered Striiv, a portable fitness device for adults that motivates users into action through games and personal challenges, as well as offering donations to charity in return for physical exertion. Striiv was founded by Dave Wang and Mark Ross who, realizing that busy schedules meant many people didn’t have time to exercise, wanted to put the fun back into fitness. The product is a small lightweight device, the size of “a hotel bar of soap”, that fits onto a keyring and counts each step taken by its user. The device’s games are powered by this movement, with one game requiring users to create their own tropical islands filled with plants and wildlife simply by walking. Points and rewards, meanwhile, are earned through physical activity, and personal challenges can be set. Additionally, users can create an account online, view their progress made so far, and receive motivational emails from Striiv. The idea, Striiv claim, is that users can integrate using the device into their daily routine, rather than dedicating chunks of time to gym classes or sports activities. In addition to earning personal points, Striiv and their associated sponsors will donate to charity for every step taken by users. In their own words, their goal is create “a movement around movement”. The device is currently in beta, and available to reserve for USD 99. Striiv expect to start shipping mid-October. The video below explains the device in more detail: Exercise is but one of a long list of activities that many people struggle to be enthused about. Could this concept be extended to make other unappealing tasks more enjoyable? Spotted by: Dietfried Globocnik