012 Valencell & Firstbeat Sensor Technology LIVE From CES 2017

For episode 12 we're continuing our featured series, LIVE from CES 2017 bringing the top speakers and brands from Las Vegas right to your audio player.

Our first guest is Dr. Steven Leboeuf from Valencell. You won't want to miss our second featured guest, Joni Kettunen, CEO of Firstbeat, and pioneer in physiological analytics and their applications for fitness. His vision for incorporating heartbeat analytics and wearable technology has placed Firstbeat at the cutting edge of the industry.

About Dr. Steven

As co-founder and President of Valencell, Inc., Dr. LeBoeuf has developed ongoing strategic partnerships between Valencell and leaders in industry and academia. He has raised more than $10M in funding for Valencell and is the inventor/co-inventor of more than 50 granted patents, including dozens of foundational patents in the field of accurate wearable sensors. Prior to Valencell, LeBoeuf led the optoelectronic biosensor program at GE Global Research, where he managed the development and productization of biosensor systems and developed cutting-edge nanosensor technology. Before joining GE, LeBoeuf developed optoelectronic solid-state materials and devices while researching at North Carolina State University. Dr. LeBoeuf holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from N.C. State and a B.S. in Mathematics and Electrical Engineering from Louisiana Tech University.

With fitness wearables, apps, and devices of the rise, Dr. Steven is talking with us about a flourishing segment in our industry called, "hearables." These are connected devices worn at the ear, typically functioning as an audio earbud, biometric monitor, and can also be used as an augmented hearing device.

The hearables segment is projected to have a compound growth rate of over 170% in the next 4 years, and Dr. Steven's insight and expertise on how this tech will impact the fitness industry will uncover the changes we're seeing in the way fitness professionals will collect heart rate, blood pressure, perform health and fitness assessments and much more.

Listen To Episode 012 As Dr. Steven Uncovers

• What are hearables?
• Growth of hearables as a segment in wearables
• Why there are over 330 million aftermarket headphones now in the marketplace
• Why track biometrics at the ear? (effective due to arterioles and blood flow)
• The science of tracking blood pressure and other biometrics at the ear
• Discover how in 2006 Valencell's technology lead to the rise of the wearables market
• Why one of the biggest hurdles with sensor technology is predicting the future (for investors)
• Making sensor tech seamless? Exploring augmented hearing and voice user input
• The confluence of combining wearables biometrics with AI for Voice Plus
• Why use case validation is not done well currently, and what needs to be done for the future
• Why everything Dr. Steven does is about making people's lives better

Top 3 Takeaways From The Show

• The hearables segment is projected to have a compound growth rate of over 170% in the next 4 years. This technology will impact the future of how fitness professionals will collect heart rate, blood pressure, perform health and fitness assessments and much more.
• Hearables are poised for tremendous growth, being driven by several orthogonal market forces, however, before mass-market adoption (10 M+ users) can be realized, a few technical challenges remain.
• The technical hurdles that stand between niche markets and mass consumer adoption are proving stable, seamless Bluetooth and wireless connectivity balanced with advanced features of size, comfort, and power management for long-term comfort and extended wear use cases.

Power Quotes From Dr. Steven

"At Valencell, we want you live your life well, with whatever wearable you like, and we'll help collect the data you generate to uniquely guide you in your lifestyle to better health." - Dr. Steven LeBoeuf on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"We're seeing that sensor use case validation is often not done well. What companies must do now is work together to test out these cutting edge technologies to meet the demands for seamless functionality and accuracy during real life situations." - Dr. Steven LeBoeuf on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

Resources Mentioned From Dr. Steven

• Valencell Website
• CES 2017: Optical Sensor Measures Blood Pressure
• Dr. Steven LaBouef on LinkedIn
• Catapult sports training
• Nick Hunn - Industry reviewer
• Photoplethysmography: a volumetric measurement of an organ. A PPG is often obtained by using a pulse oximeter which illuminates the skin and measures changes in light absorption.
• Emerging SUUNTO watches powered by Valencell technology
• Firstbeat Technology

Tune In @ 20:25 For Featured Guest: Joni Kettunen, CEO - Firstbeat

Mr. Joni Kettunen, PhD, is a pioneer in physiological analytics and its applications. He is leading Firstbeat at the cutting edge of heartbeat analytics for wearables, fitness devices, wellbeing services and professional sports. As of today, Firstbeat analytics is used by hundreds of elite sports teams, thousands of corporations, and millions of consumers to improve their performance and wellbeing.

Before founding Firstbeat in 2002, Joni has done and published research in the areas of psychophysiology, behavioral medicine, autonomic nervous system function and stress quantification. Joni received his PhD from the Department of Psychology at the University of Helsinki in 1999.

His vision for incorporating heartbeat analytics and wearable technology has placed Firstbeat at the cutting edge of the industry. On this show, you'll learn about how coaches and trainers are using Firstbeat's technology to train clients with precision heart rate variability, otherwise known as HRV. Joni is going to share with us how GARMIN is using this technology combined with virtual coaching for athletes and everyday fitness users to support wellbeing and superior performance by tracking much deeper than just steps and sweat.

Listen To Episode 012 As Joni Uncovers

• What is Firstbeat?
• How Firstbeat models HRV with 20+ phases of heart rate data for actionable use from coaches and trainers
• How to provide actionable and individual feedback for stress or fitness training or sleep recovery
• How to model heart rate variability and stress in real life
• Why using HRV gives a "direct view" into the parasympathetic vagal system, which is strongly related to the recovery systems in the body
• HRV for coaches in person and virtually
• GARMIN HRV devices using training
• Why Firstbeat has grown to 90 people on staff with 20 exercise physiologists alone
• Understanding the GARMIN Fenix 3
• Understanding the Jabra Elite Sport Headphones
• The challenges for the sensor technology
• How HRV and 24/7 digital systems in corporate wellness systems are being used to optimize wellness

Top 3 Takeaways From The Show

• Joni believes it's no longer enough to simply capture and measure data. Whatever you are doing, the wearable needs to provide accurate, consistent, and meaningful feedback that is actually useful. It is now understood by the technology sector that serves the fitness, wellness, and corporate wellness settings that collaborating together to do better is paramount.
• Firstbeat's accurate heart rate variability (HRV) based measurement and personal diary provide a window to a client's well-being. This real personalization via HRV and biometric data is allowing greater coaching and lifestyle modification along the wellness journey.
• Based on decades of research and work with professional athletes, Firstbeat has created a professional grade coaching tool that helps their clients manage stress, enhance recovery and exercise based off of data that matters.

Power Quotes From Joni

"At any given time there are 15 to 20 different processes in our body that influence our heart rate. We detect those, and out of that we can compose a model of the physiology itself. Once we know what's happening in the body, we can provide much more actionable and insightful feedback for stress, training, fitness level, or sleep recovery." - Joni Kettunen on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"It's no longer enough to simply capture and measure data. Whatever you are doing with the wearable needs to provide accurate, consistent, and meaningful feedback that is actually useful. It is now understood by our peers that in the fitness, wellness, and corporate wellness settings we must come together to do better." - Joni Kettunen on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

Resources Mentioned From Joni

• Firstbeat Technology
• Stress and recovery analysis method based on 24 hour HRV
• Whitepaper: Firstbeat method, subjective stress was directly associated with objective stress and inversely with objective recovery
• GARMIN Fenix 3
• Jabra Elite Sport True-Wireless Bluetooth Stereo Earbuds
• Wellness Professionals one professionals that use 24/7 dashboards
• Firstbeat is powering over 70 consumer devices to produce meaningful insights for training + wellbeing
• Firstbeat on twitter
• Firstbeat on facebook
• Firstbeat on Youtube

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