Wristband lets swimmers monitor their progress and share online

Swimtag is a training aid that aims to make swimming more “engaging, interactive and fun”.

A couple of months ago we discovered Striiv, a portable fitness device designed to motivate adults into action with games and personal challenges. Now with a similar mission, Swimtag is a training aid that monitors progress in the pool, hoping to make swimming more “engaging, interactive and fun”. Swimtag was designed and manufactured for swimmers of all levels by UK-based 222 Sports Limited. Users begin by swiping their Swimtag card at the swimming pool reception and collecting a wristband. When worn in the pool, this wristband can monitor the swimmer’s split times, stroke rate and stroke type, as well as the number of lengths swam. Once the swimmer is finished, performance data and statistics are automatically analyzed and uploaded to the user’s account, which can then be viewed online on the swimmer’s smartphone or computer, or via web-connected kiosks. Records of performances are kept, and specific training targets can be set up, incorporating distance, calories, speed and lengths. Swimtag also offers specific training plans, designed to help swimmers lose weight or improve their stamina, for example. Swimtag swimmers can also take part in online competitions, and further social functionality enables them to add friends from Facebook and Twitter, sharing status updates and scheduling joint swims. There is also the option to set larger challenges — for example, swimming the English Channel or Atlantic Ocean — where users can compete against friends or in a team, plotting their progress on an interactive map and sharing results on Facebook and Twitter. Integration with JustGiving, meanwhile, allows users to raise money for charity as they swim. Swimtag was launched in summer 2011 and is available for free to members at private pools, and for a monthly fee in public pools. Swimtag requires no programming or training and is designed with simplicity for users in mind. Inspiration for sports and recreational centers to motivate swimmers and other customers?