Staying hydrated can be tough and finding out how much water you have consumed and how much has been absorbed calls for a test in a lab. It has to be done in real time while you are on the track – cycling, running or exercising.
The LVL Hydration Monitor is currently live on Kickstarter (credit: BSX Athletics)
Meet the new LVL Hydration Monitor that will let you know when you’re dehydrated and warn you of impending danger if the level hits a dangerous low. Seven to ten percent of your power can be lost if you are dehydrated, say fitness experts. The LVL Hydration wearable monitor will track your hydration level using new red light technology.
The LVL uses a wrist-based red light that can measure ten times deeper into the body than the green light utilized by most optical heart rate sensors, and can accurately determine heart rate and hydration level.
“As the light passes through the body, each wavelength is absorbed and reshaped in a unique way that allows us to generate a spectrographic ‘picture’ of the water content and other physiologic activities happening in the body at that point in time,” explains LVL’s Kickstarter page.
“The LVL creates a spectrographic image that contains information of water content and location, heart rate, blood flow, and characteristics, etc.”
The owner BSX Athletics has conducted a research with 250 test subjects and while there are some pretty big claims here, the research has found the LVL’s hydration accuracy to be validated by both blood and urine tests, and its heart rate measurement was within +/- 2.7BPM.
BSX says the LVL measures your hydration level in real time, including what you’re losing in sweat and make recommendations. It’ll even make suggestions on how much you need to drink to improve mood, sleep and athletic performance.
The LVL will be available in three band types – silicone, brown leather and black leather.
Bluetooth connects the device to a smartphone for the companion app, which shows more in-depth data. Battery life is claimed at four days with a charge time of one to two hours and the device carries an IP67 ingress protection rating of 30min at one meter. The LVL is claimed to weigh 50g.