Puma’s New Companion App to keep up with Usain Bolt

Ok, So the German sporting firm Puma have recently come up with a fitness companion. How many people knew that? Not many I guess. But the only sad thing is the affordability of the new device which is too expensive for a normal consumer, might be a point that these are only developed for athletes sponsored by Puma.

Many people believe that the Runkeeper's voice is more than enough to motivate them for a jog or running etc. But many other people are of the opinion that there must be a physical presence with them to help themselves from running. That's where Puma's BeatBot comes in. Developed by a NASA robotics engineer, a trio of MIT students and Puma's ad agency, the robot follows lines around a track at any pace you'd want and not just that but it will also match Usain Bolt's 2009 foot-speed world record of 44.6 KPH just in case you need Usain himself to be present virtually for your work out.

The robot works by scanning lines on the track with an array of nine IR sensors, while wheel rotations are monitored via Arduino to keep track of speed and distance. BeatBot's also outfitted with LED lights on the back and dual GoPro cameras.

This is rather a strange move from the German sporting giant since a lot of sportswear companies concentrate on other types of wearable be it a smart band or a smart mobile application etc., PUMA have decided to opt for a rather newer route. Their new device was revealed this weak and it's called "Beatbot". The BeatBot is a programmable, self-driving, line-following robot that inspires PUMA's runners of all levels to push harder by giving them a real visual target to beat, not just the time on a stopwatch. You can give the robot all the information it may need, including distance, pace and more, through your smartphone. Then you go on the track and you try to beat the BeatBot.