Most people think of sports vitals monitoring as something that requires either goggles, or a smartphone, but O-Synce has something a little different in mind. Their Screeneye X visor is just that, a slip on visor that goes over the head, and then turns into a screen that you can glance up to see at any time. Wearers can track their progress, check their speed, and even check the time just by looking up ,without ever interrupting their workout.
The O-Synce Visor
The O-Synce visor is made of plastic with a built in backlit screen that works under all lighting conditions. While it does not monitor your vitals or your heart rate, it does work with most standard heart and ECG monitors, including O-Synce’s own heart rate monitor. The O0Synce X displays all of this data where the owner can access it more easily, by simply looking up.
While it does come off as a glorified display screen at first, the O-Synce also has a couple of other features that are worth paying attention to. The visor includes a number of interesting options such as setting workouts and then guiding you through them, display time, and display multiple details such as speed, heart rate, and more all at once.
Monitoring your vitals allows you to stay within specific ranges to keep your heart rate at the same pace, to measure speed and distance more accurately, and even improve interval training.
How Does it Work
The O-Synce Screeneye X visor is set up so that it is compatible with any ANT + sensor, foot pods, heart rate trackers, pedometers, and more. These sensors can then be used to sync data including calories burned, distance, speed, heart rate, impact, form, and more, right to the screen. When paired with innovations like Smart Socks, the visor could be used to immediately improve running form.
Because the visor goes just over the ears and above the eyes, it is positioned so that it does not affect normal vision. From the outside it looks almost exactly like a traditional sun visor, and actually serves the purpose of keeping the sun out of the wearers eyes. Buttons on one side allow the wearer to quickly and easily change settings with one hand, and any new data can be uploaded to the Screeneye X with a micro USB cable.
Getting It
While a smart visor is not for everyone, it’s definitely a great idea for many. Some athletes will prefer not to use a visor at all, but for those who don’t have the time or the patience to reach for their phone or for those who want to protect their more expensive mobile devices, it’s a perfect solution. In fact, the ScreenEye X is already in use and has even been taken cross country by German skier Thomas Freimuth.
If you want one of your own then it will cost you $200 with optional extras of a heart rate monitor for $81 and a foot pod for $94. If you already have your own sensors then it will put you back $200, or if you want the full setup, nearly $400, but if you’re serious about your workouts, it’s definitely a great way to go.
