ACT | The App Association represents app developers and small tech businesses creating innovations around the globe. In this blog post, we are featuring vitascale™ to highlight their creative medical devices.
ACT | The App Association member vitascale™ created the world’s first wearables that use respiratory gas analysis to determine an individual’s metabolism and fitness level. While other fitness trackers only estimate these values, the German medical tech company’s headset and handheld devices allow users to precisely measure and track their metabolic performance, lung functionality, and nutritional deficiencies. As a long-time competitive athlete himself, vitascale™ CEO Ulrich Jerichow is familiar with traditional respiratory gas analysis tests which are expensive (ca. 400€ per test) and must occur at a doctor’s office. With vitascale™ devices, Jerichow aims to bring respiratory gas analysis directly to the end-user by turning them into wearables that can be used at home and during exercise.
The vitascale™ handheld device, which is not intended for use during exercise, measures your nutrition and basal metabolic rate precisely, and sustainably, using the automatic respiratory gas analysis and heart rate measurement. The handheld device is used multiple times throughout the day and tracks your energy levels by simply breathing into it. During workouts, the vitascale™ headset allows users to monitor how much oxygen their body is using, track their heart rate, fat burning zones, and rest intensity. Via Bluetooth, both devices connect to the vitascale™ app which analyzes the data in real-time and provides post-workout summaries. With the app, users can also set goals and receive workout plans tailored to their needs. Users can also integrate smartwatch data into the app which turns vitascale™ into a convenient tool to achieve personal fitness goals.
vitascale™ products are a portable and innovative solution to replace previously expensive medical tests and are designed with the user in mind, as demonstrated by their charging solutions and effort to create an efficient and easy consumer experience with their devices. While the handheld device can be charged magnetically or via a plug-in, the vitascale™ team decided to take a different path for the headset. To guarantee maximum usability and efficiency, the headset uses replaceable and rechargeable batteries. This allows the device to be used at any time because there’s no wait time for it to charge again. While a USB plug or charging cable may seem like the obvious choice for connected and smart health gadgets, chief executive officer Ulrich Jerichow says they don’t see any point in having this type of charging solution on the headset. Having a USB-plug would have interfered with the design and functionality of the device and being able to choose its own solution has helped vitascale™ succeed.
In a time when regulatory authorities are increasingly trying to mandate technological innovation and standards, it is important to keep examples like vitascale™ in mind. The company has benefitted significantly from the flexibility to innovate and from the ability to use the charging model that both works most efficiently for its products and is tailored to customer needs. The user experience informed approach by vitascale™ shows how an innovative solution for its charging system benefits customers and guarantees the highest level of efficiency for their devices.
The products made by vitascale™ are another example of how technology can impact consumer health. We are proud to welcome them as an App Association member.