MilestonePod – An Innovative Way to Measure Your Run
Before the fitness trackers and fitness apps in smartwatches became really popular among fitness freaks, some innovative tracking gadgets called “foot pods” were there. Foot pods are nothing but small sensor-enabled devices that by attaching to your sneakers can track a wide variety of metrics when you run. Well, the concept has nothing new, the new and refurbished MilestonePod seems to make an overhaul of the earlier foot pod in both design and feature set.
While most mass market fitness tracker bands are becoming popular, this redesigned foot pod can appeal to the runners simply through the array of metrics it offers in measuring run. It is capable of measuring pace, distance, duration, running steps per minute and may other attributes in real time and can send the data on your smartwatch or smartphone app. The end result is obviously the insights from this data that the runners can utilize in improving their performance and fitness level over time.
Redesigned with a Sleeker Look
From the earlier version of this foot pod, the new design is a complete shift. It has been redesigned now with small size, lighter weight, and sleeker appearance. Moreover, the redesigned MilestonePod allows now an easier means to attach to the shoelace.
With two parts the new MilestonePod allows binding the lower docket to your shoelaces followed by twisting the Pod over it and locking it with a click. The pod itself is extremely small and square sized with a quarter dimension and around 9 grams of weight. This small no footprint simple design added to the effectiveness of the pod tracker for runners.
How does it work?
It carries accelerometer and a few other sensors inside the pod. These sensors and the accelerometer is capable of recognizing as you start running and it automatically begins recording the metrics. As you stop the recording will automatically be paused and will resume as soon as you start running.
Are you thinking of the rainy days? Well, MilestonePod is completely waterproof allowing you to run in the rain or getting your feet soaked in the little ditches. As for ensuring accuracy, just lace the pod lower down your shoelaces. As for setting up this foot pod, you can easily get it synced with the connected app with a tap and get your running data anytime on your smartphone or smartwatch.
What can it Measure in the run?
MilestonePod besides being capable of measuring accurately all the basics metrics of running like duration, pace, distance, and cadence, it can also deliver advanced measurements like foot strike rate, ground contact, impact rate, the length of strides and leg swing.
Remember, it is not an activity tracker or common fitness tracker and so, it may not measure steps and strides during the normal course of movement except for running. It is only designed for running and not for tracking other activities.
Here is a small list of measurements this foot pod is capable of offering.
- Distance, duration, pace, and number of steps
- Calories burned
- Total weekly mileage
- Total mileage on shoes
- Foot strike rate
- Stance time
- Rate of impact
- Cadence
- Stride length
- Leg swing
- Run log
- Run efficiency score
The MilestonePod App
There is a connected app for the foot pod for both iOS and Android platform. It allows Bluetooth connectivity to sync with the connected app. The app does not automatically sync. To allow the pod sync with the app you have to open the app and tap on a button.
Besides offering diverse measurements as per different metrics related to running, the app explains the importance of different metrics recorded by the pod. For instance, a higher leg swing denotes more efficiency and higher impact rate increases the chances of injury, etc. The app also guides the runner with the ideal number of steps per minute and other ideal scores.
Very Affordable
MilestonePod has priced quite affordably with only $25 and that is not a big price if you want to add smart tracking capability to your pair of sneakers.
As for the verdict, we can easily call this affordable waterproof foot pod worth buying if you are a regular runner and feel curious to know about your running efficiency in details. The only drawback is that it is restricted to only running and does not track any other activity.
Dhruvil is a Writer & Marketeer for Nimblechapps, joined in December 2014, based out of Sydney, Australia. He has worked briefly as a Branding and Digital Marketing Manager before moving to Australia. At Nimblechapps, he worked on Social Media Marketing, Branding, Email Marketing and Blogging. Dhruvil studies Business at University of Western Sydney, and also handles Operations for the company in Australia.