The Myontec Mbody - Smart Shorts to Keep You Fit

In our weekly series from the world of crowdfunding we look for new and interesting projects that you can back. After all, many of the coolest new products, such as the Pebble Smartwatch and the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset got their start on Kickstarter, and not inside big companies. We're on the lookout for the best and most interesting projects on sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo.

This week, we came across the Mbody Coach, a fitness tracker that's a little bit different. For one thing, while most trackers on the market are designed for casual fitness tracking, the Mbody is designed as sportswear. And that's the second thing that makes it a little different - instead of a band to wear on your hand the Mbody is a pair of smart shorts.

The shorts (which are machine washable) have sensors for four muscle groups in your legs and thighs, an accelerometer, and a USB rechargable Li ion battery. They can measure muscle load and co-ordination, efficiency, calories burned, heart rate and balance, amongst other things.

This is clearly not a product that is going to be relevant for everybody, but fitness enthusiasts would want to check this out. The Mbody has already been in use amongst professional athletes, but in its Kickstarter, the company talks about a new feature that makes it more useful for enthusiastic amateurs.

One of the problems with a lot of fitness trackers is that they give you a lot of data, but don't tell you what to do with it. One of the ways to deal with this is to look at something like the Indian company GoQii, which doesn't just sell the fitness tracker, but also has a subscription fee which gives you access to a personal trainer. The trainer can track your data and give you advice and feedback.

Myontec is automating the process, and using the sensors in the shorts, the software can analyse your performance and offer real time advice, delivered as audio via your smartphone. It can talk you through warm-ups, analyse your technique, spot problem areas, and deliver progression analysis. You can see the video explaining the details below:

The Myontec Mbody sounds like an interesting product which will be useful for people who are dedicated to fitness, and it is trying to raise $99,000. The Kickstarter will take pledges till November 8, and you will get one for $299. The team says it will deliver the shorts by March 2015.