![]() We want to remove any and all barriers to providing insights back to customers, regardless of the device they are wearing.” As we built Microsoft Health, we started thinking, ‘Why should Microsoft Band be the only device that feeds into and benefits from this service?’ We want it connect to any device customers are using to track their health and fitness. He explained, “We always insisted that the band had to work not just with Windows but with iOS and Android. Matt Barlow, GM of Marketing for Personal Devices, has been involved with many of the same monumental product launches as Holmdahl. “They were OK for running or walking, but wouldn’t work with non-repetitive motions, and would often take 30 to 60 seconds to recover,” In the meantime, a few other optical heart rate devices for the wrist started hitting the market. Productivity features would deepen the device’s connection with the consumer and free them from having to keep their eyes glued to a smartphone. With the inclusion of productivity and communication features, they aimed to make not only a wearable personal trainer but also a wearable personal assistant. ![]() Shariff said, “We soon realized that only if the device could fit on the wrist and, therefore, be worn throughout the day would it truly collect all of the data provided by continuous heart rate monitoring.” Alam and other Microsoft executives also envisioned that the device would be more compelling on the wrist. Alam said, “It could fit on the forearm or bicep and was a big step forward in terms of creating a continuous way for fitness enthusiasts to monitor their heart rate.” It used light to track blood flow (rather than measuring electrical pulse like other devices). ![]() The first iteration of the team’s fitness device, called Jewel, adapted Kinect sensor technology to create an optical heart rate monitor. And Bilodeau wrestled with pre-planning for the next day’s workout in order to maintain new lifestyle habits. On another level, Shariff, Alam and Bilodeau had all found it a hassle to record exercise metrics. “Between having to use glue or even shave your chest to achieve sensor contact, chest strap use required serious dedication.” First we went after chest straps,” Alam explained. “Continuous heart rate monitoring was something lacking in the market at that point in time and we set out to solve that problem. The Accessories team got behind the project. The concept of a fitness and wellness sensor dovetailed with the fitness passion of Alam, Bilodeau and others on the team. I started to incubate the project and was Employee #1 on it.” She was running marathons and half marathons at the time and remembered, “I became interested in building a fitness companion device. Kinect sees you, but what about making something that senses you? And what about using Kinect technology for something that can leave the living room? Farah Shariff, now Program Manager for the Microsoft Band Algorithms and the Electrical Engineering teams, said, “I started looking into what other cool accessories we could make. That same year, Microsoft launched the Kinect motion sensor for Xbox. As you follow that plan – or if you don’t follow the plan – our technology will continue to adjust to give you the best outward-looking plan, like a real coach would do.” Based on your burn rate and exercise over one week, we will soon be able to auto-suggest a customized workout plan for you. With the inclusion of intelligent personal assistant Cortana on Windows Phone 8.1, the band also offers hands-free access to the web and your most important correspondence whether you’re at the office or at the gym.Īvailable on Windows Phone, iOS and Android, Microsoft Health’s open cloud platform stores, organizes and learns from your fitness information in order to give specific prompts to improve your fitness.Īs Zulfi Alam, GM of Personal Devices, noted at the beginning of our workout, “Imagine you’ve set the goal that you want to get fit and lose weight as part of your exercise routine. Microsoft Band’s cutting-edge continuous heart rate monitoring provides a detailed calorie count and sleep quality measurements. In turn, the device and Microsoft Health, the new security-enhanced cloud platform that stores and analyzes all of this data, have transformed the engineers’ personal health and fitness. For this team that created the device, the workout stood atop years of research, testing, iterating and inventing a whole new product category at Microsoft.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |