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Hi everyone. So I figured I would post this here since I've seen so many aspects of my story involved in LTT videos at some point in the 5+ years I watch them that it might be an inspiration for someone for the various technological achievements. My backstory: So now to the actual challenge on hands: I decided that for the whole duration of January 2022, every single day (if not prevented by some very important occurence), I will play BOX VR for 60 minutes and stream it. I am already at 30% of that and so far I managed to stream every day, even though yesterday there was nobody in the chat and I didn't find out that my game sound was not picked up. There are several technical aspects I want to share: Audio+Video: I am using my trusty Sony IMX291-based ELP camera. I did a video about that one already, and you can grab yours on AliExpress. Thankfully, the excellent mic array on the Valve Index provides crystal clear audio for the stream, and of course I am using the sidechain trick that lowers my game volume everytime I speak so it can be loud for the rest of the time. HR monitoring: To better convey to my viewers how much physical activity I am exerting and to log the data for possible further analysis, I wanted to record my heart-rate. I have an older Fitbit Charge 2, but they pulled the plug on real-time HR monitoring, and optical sensors in wrist bands are a pretty bad solution for cardio workouts because you move a lot, shuffling the sensor around on your skin, making it ver inprecise. I did my research and bought a Polar H10+ (the large version of course, having a considerable chest diameter). I was looking for a software solution to get the HR to stream. I found Pulsoid but the free tier only gives you a very boring kind of visualization with almost no customization. So I began to poke around how the Polar actually communicated and turns out there is a specific Bluetooth GATT profile for HR monitoring. It is actually part of the Bluetooth Low Energy standard! How amazing. This allowed me to code my own tool called PolarGrabber that I have just put on GitHub for all to enjoy. Considering this is a standard, I assume it is not actually limited to Polar hardware and would work with every device that supports the HR GATT profile. There are two components to it. First is the main program, that will simply scan all BLE devices that support HR GATT, select the first one in the list (kind of assuming you don't have more of them) and initiate data retrieval. It will also open a simple web server on localhost:port (the URL is in the config file) and server javascript server-side events. Additionally, it also logs every HR point to a text file (csv, really). The second component is the file hr.htm. It is a simple webpage that connects to the local web server, receives the events with the individual HR values and uses amCharts to draw a nice plot in real-time. It also keeps track of peak HR and when the chart accumulates 10 minutes of data, it starts to delete the older measurements so it's not too crowded. You can of course edit the parameters in the htm, I put some comments there and it should be pretty transparent. In OBS, I create a Browser source, use this htm file and because I the CSS makes the background transparent, I don't have to chroma key, it just looks nice out of the box. Chat bot: To boost engagement, I have written myself a chat bot that provides stream overlay that not only renders chat, but also allows users to post GIFs, audio/video macros from my collection, YouTube videos and even Text-To-Speech engine that reads sentences out loud for those moments, when the boxing combos are too busy for me to be able to read the chat. The tech is very similar to the HR monitor - local webserver and a htm with javascript subscribing to server-side events used as OBS web browser source. I am not yet ready to release the bot, it is very much work in progress, but I will eventually, and it will be available on my github as well. It is basically just a shell that provides very stable connection to the chat and the rest of the functions is done as plugins that receive the messages and can process them in any way. There is a help available to showcase some of the features. In-VR HUD: Now problem with monitoring chat during regular gaming is easily solvable by a second monitor. I don't have the real estate on my desk to support 3 monitors, and 2 monitors setups are bad for me that it is either 1) one monitor on each side, neither perfectly centered or 2) one monitor centered, the other "aux". Since I have wall-mounted studio-grade speakers, I bought a 10" 1280x800 HDMI+USB touch screen from AliExpress, wired up the power to 12V pin in an unused 4pin connector from my PSU (through a fuse!, that's a must) and use that for "pancake games" streaming. What about VR, though? Fortunatelly, there is an excellent tool for that called OVR Toolkit. It allows you to place virtual windows in the 3D space of the VR world. For standing games, you can just place the windows around you and look at them - this is what I use for Box VR since you stand on the same spot the whole time. In games where you move inside the game world, obviously you would just walk away from these Windows. So OVR Toolkit can attach the window to your controller for example, so you can see the chat everytime you look at the underside of your wrist or something like that. A real lifesaver! So I simply have another html file that embeds the chat overlay and the hr overlay in different layout, and I have that opened in a small browser windows that I clone using OVR Toolkit. Home automation control: Constantly trying to boost engagement, my bot already started to award people with my own currency for chat activity. I was thinking about how the users could actually spend all that. And then I realized I have home automation running on OpenHAB and all my light switches have Shelly smart relays in them. I was wondering how hard would it be to allow people to control these things via the bot, like allowing them to switch lights or change color of my RGB bed. Turns out...SUPER easy using their REST API. Like 3 lines of C# code easy to call that. So now my viewers can control my home around me, while I work my ass off on camera I will check this thread from time to time to answer any technical questions. Have a good one guys

I've been tracking my fitness lately using the Samsung health app and I am trying to find a relatively inexpensive, hopefully less than $150ish, smartwatch to help me track my workouts without having to keep my phone on me. Any advice??

Buying one for my 25yo daughter Her phone is an Samsung A52s Shes quite fit, likes to exercise but seldom goes out Non-negotiable requirements Is a watch, not a fitness band Can be used/paired with her phone without substantial loss of functionality Under $300. Budget will not be increased. Not buying her a new phone Will last at least one whole week of regular use in between charges Heart rate, blood oxygen, sleep monitoring No subscription required to access features (Fitbit I'm looking at you) unless its one of those things that I dont care for Great to have ECG Wifi Altimeter Work out profiles, activity detection Stress tracking Calorie burn tracking Whatever else it can track that applies to most people High screen coverage (less useless bezels) regardless of analog or digital watchface Alarm for waking up during favorable sleep stage Phone notifications when paired Viewing SMS and messages from popular apps when paired Phone music control Elegant look Dont care for GPS Maps Contactless payment Games Cell service (she will rely on phone) Onboard music storage Voice commands/assistant I have found the Garmin Venu SQ 2 and Withings Scanwatch Looking for more suggestions If you know of good alternatives, do let me know and what makes it stand out If it does not meet the non-negotiable requirements, the suggestion will be dropped Thanks

I like the advertised features of the Fitbit Charge 5, but I really don't like the idea of supporting the nonsense of paying monthly for features the watch already has built in (What's the point in paying for a sensor I can't even use long term?). Thankfully, there's a 6 months free trial and apparently the possibility of getting more free time due to possible glitch according to reddit. I also wonder if factory resetting the watch and clearing the phone's cache / re-installing the phone app would also give more free trial time, if anyone knows, plz let me know as that would make this decision far easier to make. Anyway, I've been doing a lot of digging around on review and compare websites, most of which having misleading information, but I can't seem to find anything with the same features or better for a similar price. I don't care at all about smartphone features or music or GPS or even call or text stuff. I only care about fitness and health related features and if possible the best water resistance rating as possible as I plan to swim long distances with it on (so minimum 5ATM). From what I've seen, the EDA scan and skin temp variation are the difficult ones to find in a watch. SpO2, HRV and ECG seem to be much more common now. Has anyone gone through as much or more digging around into this area and can fill me in on what's out there that I may have missed? Right now, I can get a Charge 5 "pebble only", 2 custom wristbands and an original charger (all separate purchases) for a total of around $150CAD. I doubt I can get a better price than that, but I don't want to spend much more than that either. Also, keep in mind that I'm the kind of person who very proudly bought a Samsung M30s (suggested by a user from here, thanks again btw) and enjoys the 2 weeks of phone battery life between charges. I'm not one of those high schoolers that prefers flashy stuff over function. I'm nearing middle age with plenty of health issues (mostly sleep related) and a recent interest in some exercise, hence the reason for wanting to buy one. EDIT: Lack of response made me just buy the Charge 5. I just hope I don't regret it.

Didn't see a fitness thread, it's time one was started. ITT we discuss: - PB/PRs - Fitness goals - Personal stats - Stories - Advice - Favourite fitness content - Motivation Just to start discussion, I'm gonna post my current stats which come from four months of consistent weight training at least five days a week. I previously weighed 12st 3lbs and was mostly fat. Best deadlift - 160kg Best bench - haven't tested yet, trying barbell free chest training for two more weeks before I try barbell bench again Best squat - 110kg Bodyweight right now - 10st 13lbs Age/Height - 18/5'7" What my body looks like now - quite muscular, not much definition but hoping to fix that through cutting, still a little bit tubby but much leaner than ever before. Two-pack abs slightly visible. Goals - get six-pack abs, have more muscle definition because I feel as if I am pretty strong considering where I am, but I wish I was more aesthetic. Have fun guys, keep it civil.

Hi Everyone, TLDR: Does Google Fit support multiple watches? More detail: I've been thinking about getting a smartwatch (a nicer, conventional-looking one) for day-to-day wear around the office. I've also been looking at using one as a means to track my various workouts (running, bicycling, etc) in Google Fit without dragging my phone along. However, the larger and heavier (not to mention expensive) "office" watch is not the type I'd want to bring with me on workouts. As such, I've thought about getting a smaller band-style smartwatch for use specifically during workouts. But that would require Google Fit to play nicely with multiple watches. Is this something that Fit supports? Is it something that you do yourself? How has it been working out for you? Thanks.

Wondering if you guys could help me find a good fitness tracker. There seem to be a lot out there and telling the good from the bad has been tricky. I figured I'm probably not the first one to go through this so maybe the community could help and provide me with some of their own feedback. Must include- - under $50 dollars (US) - heartbeat sensor - sleep tracking - screen with time indicator And if possible - decent or good enough app -purchaseable through reputable seller Thanks!

Not sure if this is the proper forum for this. Anyone got this yet? Opinions? Will LTT be doing a review?

A really good example of why less is more. Fitness app Strava published a map showing user activity around the world between 2015 and 2017. Obviously, North America and Europe are lit up like a bonfire, but several people noticed several strange patches in the Middle East, cross checking revealed that many of them were known U.S. Military Bases. However it also appears to reveal the location of several secret outposts that have either been revealed to exist, but it's exact location never disclosed, or bases which people have speculated the US has, but the government has never confirmed/denied. While the data is not live, it does reveal obvious trends as to where the soldiers are located. In several cases, they show up on the map as long straight lines, likely indicating a jogging track commonly used by soldiers, potentially giving their enemies an indication where to target the soldiers when they are out for their morning jog, possibly unarmed. Link to Map https://labs.strava.com/heatmap/ Source The Washington Post EDIT: I figured it's possible they might take the site offline, so I wanted to include a screenshot of it. Mods please note, it's U.S. only and it shouldn't have enough resolution to include anything that might incur liability.

Source: CNET and Tech Crunch But how will it work will resistance training? As someone who does both cardio and resistance, will GymKit be implemented as well to resistance training equipment like a tricep pulldown? As of now, I'm not particularly sold just yet by smartwatches and fitness trackers because the way they calculate calories burned is not personalized. I'd rather see the likes of Apple or even Garmin implement a portable bioelectrical impedance to measure body fat percentage since doing it with BMI is inaccurate. It's nice that the Apple Watch will be paired with the treadmill with NFC+Bluetooth but is this going to be an exclusive thing for the Apple Watch? What about Android Wear or better yet, dedicated fitness trackers like the Fitbit Ionic? My problem with fitness trackers is that they don't measure resistance training well. They are good for cardio like hiking, running, walking and swimming but doing a bench press, deadlift or just simple bicep curls? No. Unfortunately, there is no way to scale down lab equipment that actually measures the amount of Carbon Dioxide exhaled and the Oxygen inhaled which is the best way to measure calories burned which is basically stoichiometry and limiting/excess reactants. The human body takes in carbohydrates (sometimes proteins during starvation) and cells in the body require oxygen to burn them.

Source: http://www.cnbc.com/2016/05/23/study-shows-fitbit-trackers-highly-inaccurate.html Fitbit has some 'splainin to to. Fitbit wants you to take this with a grain of salt. Fitbit's argument doesn't seem to hold however. I'm taking 2 things away from this article: the study's results should be taken with a grain of salt and that fitbit's devices are not as accurate as they claim to be, which his hugely problematic, given their widespread usage and marketing. As the article mentions, such innacurate readings are very dangerous for those with heart conditions that might result in an unhealthy heart rate. Hopefully fitbit is held accountable for this and either start to produce more accurate devices or clearly state the issues with the devices to the consumer.

I am making this thread to learn from, but also for other people to learn from. I am wanting to know some good work out habits for out home workouts, with your closest thign to gym equipment being maybe a pull up bar and some large books and crates. I myself have actually been looking for some good workout habits to start practicing at home before I go to a gym, because I am kind of a wimp, but also don't have a good gym nearby and before having to go to a gym in a different town I would like to be able to benefit at a maximum from the gym equipment. The last 2 weeks I have been doing push ups, sit ups, pull ups, and squats(with doing proper stretches before and after) and I started at doing 20 pushups, 40 sit ups, 25 pull ups, and 40 squats, but I haven't seen any major improvements and I have a protein shake occasionaly with the diet of watever the school serves for lunch(which tend to be very tiny after some Michelle Obama health laws) and some sausage eggs and bacon for breakfeast and then a variety of foods for dinner. I haven't really planned out my diet but I am looking to improve my health by getting some more muscle because we have been lugging around 400-700lbs. of different weight equipment for my band and I am one of the people who are suppose to march onto the field with props(which this year happen to be door[Real doors] and they are pretty damn heavy). So I was hoping people good just post good exercise habits and discuss health and fitness. Currently I am 130lbs. and 14 years old so idk if this is normal for my age but I am really scrawny but a lot of people say I am strong, but I still don't enjoy being scrawny. But I want to know good goals to set and information that I should probably record in a log or maybe even blog it.(not a fan of blogging I would rather just a log that no one else sees.) Read this!!! Post your daily workout routine, height, weight, and maybe age. Discuss your approach to exercise and give any advice you would like to give to the LTT Community and perhaps your opinion on the importance of a good workout routine, and a healthy diet.

Guys i decide to workout and i have no idea what to do. Help me reach my goal, kinda dunno if its possible but i am motivated atm. I never trained my body before, so i decide its time to start i feel weak and i am not happy. ( Btw i am skinny ) I dont want to take any chemistry ( dunno how to say it ) i want everything natural. My specs: Years - 16 old height - 172 centimeter weight - 69 kilograms My goal is this:

HealthBox tries to take the guesswork out of creating a connected fitness ecosystem that’s easy to set up and use. The $400 box includes the UA Band, which rose from the ashes of the HTC Grip that was unceremoniously cut from the company's product line; the UA Scale, which monitors weight and body fat percentage to lead you toward a new goal weight; and the UA Heart Rate strap, which appears to be just like any other Bluetooth-connected chest strap that tracks pulse, heart rate zones, and workout intensity. i'm pretty hopeful for this as i really wanted to get the grip when it was annouced last year, but then it vanished after getting FCC approval, and i was disappointed so i hope this is a success and HTC needs as much help as they can get.

Hey I am looking for a new fitness tracker/smart band. My jawbone up 24 just gave up on me so I decided to look for a new one. I would prefer one with a screen or another way to see the time, my activity... Directly off the band. Something like the Fitbit charge hr, Nike fuelband se, (surge), vivofit... I am 16 years old and am interested in mid distance running and I am doing this for quite a while now. But I don't really like having a lot of band, watches etc on my arms whilst running. But I still need something to see how fast I am running and stuff like that. For that I have another garmin running watch. So having another big watch on my other hand wouldn't be very nice. It would be best to have a good fast and easy usable stopwatch on the band to see my lap times whilst running intervals. I also really like the point system on the Nike fuelband se. Features like music play or other things were I need my phone are unnecessary, because I never run with my phone. I only sync the data to an iPad in the evening or so. Which band would you guys recommend for me? Thanks in advance.

Sooooo I got a 500GB SSD and I was kinda wanting to make a 50-100GB partition to use as a scratch disk for Photoshop, Premiere pro and Shadow Play. Would this work or should I just put them in a folder on the main partition? Thankz Peoplez!

I don't blame HTC for wanting into the wearable game, its fairly lucrative if you can get the basics right and offer a compelling enough product for the price they'll charge. I wouldn't buy it, but I think its a nice enough first step. They are giving up on HR and instead allowing you to use any bluetooth enabled HR sensor instead. I also wouldn't buy it because it looks like something a boy racer would wear and doesn't really look that nice as something you could wear on a day to day basis. At least my Surge can pass as a normal watch and be used in social settings without sticking out like a yellow coloured thumb. http://www.theverge.com/2015/3/1/8128561/htc-grip-specs-features-release-date-price

Welcome back to 2010! According to Huawei at any rate, with this smart band that transforms into your least favourite trend that mercifully died. Maybe thats a little harsh, maybe its entirely deserved. Lets not make these come back, can we? It seems ungainly designed and a little bulky. This echoes the industry pattern of not having a clue on how to actually make a proper band. A little crazy, this idea is. http://gizmodo.com/huawei-talkband-b2-half-fitness-band-half-earpiece-a-1688776420

Seven years out from the original iPhone’s introduction, and four years past the iPad’s launch, Apple has found its next market ripe for reinvention: the mobile healthcare and fitness-tracking industry. Apple’s interest in healthcare and fitness tracking will be displayed in an iOS application codenamed Healthbook. Multiple sources working directly on the initiative’s development have since provided new details and images of Healthbook that provide a clearer view of Apple’s plans for dramatically transforming the mobile healthcare and fitness-tracking space… As detailed in the images throughout this article, which are complete recreations of screenshots, Healthbook’s user interface is largely inspired by the iPhone’s exisiting Passbook application. Versions of Healthbook in testing are capable of tracking several different health and fitness data points. Each category of functionality is a card in the Healthbook. Cards are distinguished by a color, and the tabs can be arranged to fit user preferences. As can be seen in the above images, Healthbook has sections that can track data pertaining to bloodwork, heart rate, hydration, blood pressure, physical activity, nutrition, blood sugar, sleep, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and weight. While other publications have reported to the contrary, the images clearly show that Apple is working on tracking hydration levels. Also contradicting other reporting, these images do not indicate that Apple is working on tracking stress or pregnancy data points. It is possible that this type of functionality could arrive in the future, but I do not believe Apple is currently developing those capabilities. Fitness Functionality: Three of Healthbook’s tabs are dedicated to fitness tracking: Activity, Weight, and Nutrition. Activity, which is pictured above, is similar to many other pieces of fitness tracking software on the App Store and other platforms. It tracks steps taken, calories burned, and miles walked. Heart Rate and Blood Pressure Monitoring: Healthbook will be able to store and track heart rate/pulse data in BPM (beats per minute) as well as blood pressure data. Blood pressure will be recorded in both its diastolic (minimum) and systolic (peak) forms. Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Gear Fit wearable device and the Withings Pulse can work with a smartphone to track heart rate, but those devices do not include blood pressure functionality. The blood monitoring capabilities of Healthbook are perhaps the most unique and important elements of the application. Blood tracking functionality is found in sections called Bloodwork, Oxygen Saturation, and Blood Sugar. The capabilities of the Bloodwork section are currently vague, but the tab can present several different blood-related data points normally provided by healthcare professionals and bloodwork labs. Hospitals often track blood data in yearly physicals for patients, including data points related to liver function, kidneys, thyroids, and the heart. Lab reports related to blood results are commonly distributed to patients through printouts, emails, or faxes. Using the latest software and hardware technology, it is possible that Apple wants to reinvent this process. Healthbook can also track a person’s oxygen saturation. This refers to the percentage of oxygen that is in a person’s blood as a ratio to how much oxygen can possibly be stored in that person’s bloodstream. Oxygen saturation is important in the context of measuring a person’s respiratory rate (more on that below) and breathing quality. Many non-invasive devices for tracking oxygen saturation currently exist in the health tracking marketplace. Apple hired Dr. Michael O’Reilly last year, and he specializes in pulse oximeters, the technology used to measure oxygen saturation. Perhaps most importantly, Healthbook can track blood sugar (glucose) levels Hydration and Respiratory Rate Measuring: Hydration levels and respiratory rate are two other interesting health data points that Apple is working on tracking with Healthbook. Hydration tracking is critical, especially for athletes, and allows users to know how much water is in their bodies and if they need to drink more fluids. Respiratory rate is the measurement of the amount of breaths a person takes per minute. Respiratory rate data can be interpreted via the same technologies used to power the aforementioned blood oxygen level data, and there are not many known wearable devices that specialize in tracking respiratory rates currently. Sleep Tracking: Besides tracking fitness and blood-related information, Healthbook will have the ability to track sleep cycles. Details on what exactly that entails are currently slim. However we previously broke the newsthat Apple hired one of the world’s experts in sleep tracking: Roy Raymann, and his experience may hold some answers. Before joining Apple, Raymann worked at Philips and founded the company’s “Sleep Experience” laboratory. Raymann’s research into sleep focused on sleep patterns, sleep quality, and alertness. It is likely he has been contributing to the Sleep tab of Healthbook. Emergency Card: In addition to health and fitness tracking, Healthbook will be a centrally-located place that holds critical data about each iPhone user. The Emergency Card will store the customer’s name, birthdate, medication information, weight, eye color, blood type, organ donor status, and location. This information is critical for an emergency technician, doctor, or hospital staffer to identify and treat a user if they fall ill or become injured and are unable to speak for themselves. The Emergency Card feature will also allow users to add emergency contact information. With that feature, someone would be able to instantly called a pre-programmed phone number to a user’s family member, for example, to notify them of an emergency. In order to be truly useful, it seems plausible that this emergency information would be accessible from the iPhone’s Lock screen much like Passbook passes could appear on the Lock screen. Sourcing Data: M7, App Store, Third-Party Devices, or iWatch? While Healthbook is capable of tracking, sorting, and managing various types of health and fitness-related data, it is currently uncertain where this data will actually be sourced from. I believe that the data will be sourced from at least one of four possibilities: the iPhone itself, third-party App Store apps, third-party devices, or a future Apple wearable device (iWatch). Thanks to the capabilities of the iPhone 5s’s M7 motion co-processor, Healthbook could technically receive steps, miles walked, and caloric data from the iPhone itself. However, that is where the M7 stops being useful for Healthbook. Blood, hydration, and respiratory rate information would clearly need to come from other sources. Debut: Apple is said to currently be testing the Health Book software with iOS 8, the next version of the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch operating system. However, it is possible that the application’s launch could be pushed back to a future operating system version or cancelled entirely. If the application is tied to an Apple-built device, the debut would likely be connected to that hardware and may not be introduced alongside other iOS 8 functionality during Apple’s mid-2014 Worldwide Developer’s Conference. Sources have also indicated that iOS 8 will retain most of iOS 7′s design and features, but it will likely feature improved Maps software with public transit directions support, a standalone iTunes Radio application to increase usage, refinements across the system, and enhanced iCloud integration. Seems like Apple wasn't kidding when they said they had big plans for 2014, with iWatch, new Apple TV, iPhone 6 and iOS 8 Source: http://9to5mac.com/2014/03/17/this-is-healthbook-apples-first-major-step-into-health-fitness-tracking/

Facebook has brought the fitness app that douse a very good job of tracking your moves. If Facebook is buying/bough Oculas. Now a tracking app what is next for Facebook? Could we be seeing local ads for shops. Who Knows? News article about The acquisition: Here "Facebook may already be tracking your usage to serve you ads, but how would you feel if it was able to log your movement? That's exactly what could be on the cards after the company confirmed it's bought Moves, the fitness-tracking app that records your daily activities using your smartphone. " This is the email that i got from moves. I think It is a very good app.