Instabeat.Me: A Lebanon Startup Making a Splash In the World
Wearable tech is all the rage these days, from smart watches to smart socks, but sometimes we have to stop and wonder how smart and useful these gadgets really are and if they make our lives any easier or better. A small sports technology startup from Beirut, Instabeat.Me, actually decided to make something both wearable and efficient… and make a splash.
As you might have already guessed from my slightly cheesy pun, this piece of tech actually has something to do with water. It is in fact a wearable device which acts as a heart monitor for swimmers and tracks turns, laps and timing. It can be fitted to any type of goggles and it actually helps the sportsman improve their game. Well, swim.
Professional athletes today rely heavily on technology to improve their workout routines and results, but water sports and swimming in particular have proven to be very tricky. In additon to being highly accurrate, this little gadget also needs to be waterproof and tiny enough not to discomfort and hinder the swimmer or in any way affect drag forces.
Instabeat.Me created the first swimming tracking device that deals with all of the above efficiently and gives a real-time feedback of performance. Instabeat’s goal is to empower every athlete with innovative and non-intrusive tools to track, improve and master their most intricate trainings, one sport at a time, starting with swimming
The startup has really been on a roll: They won the 3rd prize of the Stars of Science competition in 2010, 1st prize of the MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab Business Plan competition in 2012, and have been around the world promoting self-tracking and swimming, and the startup is also the pioneer of the Quantified Self movement in the Middle East. The startup was also a smah hit on the last year’s CES fair.
I the first quarter of 2014. the first batch of products should be ready and shipped to the first lucky swimmers. The first group of monitors will be sent to Indiegogo supporetrs in 47 countries who contributed the crowdfunding campaign, and to the buyers who preordered them the through the website. The Instabeat monitor will sell at $150 with a $25 delivery fee.
The company was founded by Hind Hobeika, who had a professional swimming career and was at the time studying in mechanical engineering at Beirut’s American University. You can get to know a bit more about her through this TED talent search video.
She hopes to start selling the monitor in retail sports and electronics stores, but also widen their range of products and apply their technological advances in creating wearable tech for running, cycling and skiing.
