Athlete Electrical Muscle Stimulation Enters Wearable Era

A US company, SmartMio, is designing versions of its wireless electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) device to fully integrate with new wearable devices including Google Wear and Moto 360. The product will align with an emerging trend for the first generation of wearable technology and target the serious athlete.

SmartMio
The device, also known as SmartMio, is fitted to the skin and stimulates the wearer's muscles to contract repeated with electrical current. Rather than relying on wires and external controls, SmartMio will now be integrated with smart fitness devices via a BlueTooth connection. By integrating it into a wearable electronics network the developers believe they have created 'the most interactive and user-friendly EMS interface in the world.'
In tests, the company claims that using its EMS as part of an integrated training programme has enhanced the lifting capacity of an elite weightlifter by 20 kilogrammes after just 2 weeks.

Prototype
A prototype of the SmartMio device has now been developed backed by $50,000 (€36,500) of crowd-sourced cash. It has been tested to International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards for medical devices and it is planned to have Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for sales in the US by December 2014.

The patches are flexible, will adhere to the skin and are powered by a lithium-ion battery, that can hold its charge for a week. Its versatility has already been proven by a team of mountaineers who have used the EMS equipment during an ascent of Mount Everest

Consumer rollout
The first version of SmartMio will sell for $149 (€109) or $289 (€211) for a two pad unit. This is close to the full cost of the device, though the firm are much keener at this point to prove the concept and allow EMS to become fully integrated into the evolving of smart wearable electronics - hence the importance of the development work with Google and Motorola.

In the past, the validity of EMS as a sports training concept has been damaged by adverts that presented it as an exercise-free way to achieve good muscle tone; but SmartMio will be firmly aimed at professional and serious amateur athletes.

Once market share is established, the company will then look to move beyond EMS fitness devices and develop other models. These would be used in therapeutic roles, for pain reduction, aiding muscle repair following injury or to stimulate blood flow during prolonged air travel to protect against deep vein thrombosis.