Smartphone apps have revolutionized exercise, giving us a means to accurately analyze our progress that was formerly reserved for top athletes and sports science professionals. Into running, hiking, endurance racing, weight lifting? There are a range of apps out there to help you get the best out of your performance. But what about swimming?
Despite participating in a great, all-round, low-impact form of exercise, swimmers often feel left out by app developers; but not anymore. A team of tech-publishers from Florida are set to address this issue with their new app, which is gearing up for its official public release.
SwiftSwim is a remarkable new app which utilizes the full power of your smartphone as it analyzes your technique and performance in the pool. Simply strap the phone to your body in a waterproof holder and start your session, using the simply-designed user interface to monitor your progress and to make adjustments as you go.
The app really puts your smartphone through its paces, using its state-of-the-art gravity and acceleration sensors – as well as the gyroscope and magnetometer found in modern handheld devices – to capture over five million data points over the course of a one hour swim. The captured data is then processed across a variety of metrics to give swimmers a clear idea of their performance in the water, becoming a valuable resource that swimmers can use as they develop. SwiftSwim executive Angelo Nardone explains more; “SwiftSwim gives swimmers instant feedback on the screen, but we also do more than that,” he said.“There are many apps in the market that just ‘measure’ and show results on screen. We go further, identifying your swimming form with over 90% accuracy – way better than other apps and devices – and we deliver this result on a multidimensional dashboard.”
In a society increasingly beset by health problems and issues on a mass scale, swimming could hold the key. The SwiftSwim team hope that by launching their app they can not only boost the performances of swimmers, but also encourage more Americans to take up this rewarding pastime. Increased muscle strength, general endurance and cardiovascular fitness make a swimming session a great all round exercise, while the low-impact element makes it great for athletes returning from injury or for people of all ages and abilities.
SwiftSwim is free to download from the Apple App Store. Head over there, check it out for yourself and see what all the fuss is about.