Couch potatoes are running out of excuses to keep themselves planted into those cushions much longer.

There’s a marathon going on in which thousands of companies are racing to develop the best fitness app. From MyFitnessPal to Endomondo and GAIN Fitness (and then there are the gizmos, too, like Apple’s Nike + iPod in-shoe tool and Motorola’s ACTIV), the list of contenders is a long one. To date, there has not been a “smart” fitness device – in other words, they do a fantastic job at counting your paces, but that’s about it…

…until Now.

Friends, meet Amiigo. The amiably named fitness app is also a lightweight bracelet that can actually detect what kind of exercising you’re doing, how awesome you’re doing it – the gadget’s intelligence is courtesy of an internal network of sensors that analyze your body as it responds to the activity you’re putting it through whether it’s biking, swimming, jump-roping or whatever it is that gets you pumping.

 

How Does it Work

The fitness-friendly gadget is composed of gesture-based software algorithms that actually identify your movements, so the more you use Amiigo, the more he gets to know your body, hence making it easier for him to distinguish a pull-up from a chin-up. In addition to the bracelet, the system also comes with a shoe clip which makes it even easier for Amiigo to make the call.

And There’s More

There are apps to accompany Amiigo too for both iOS and Android. With these exercisers can view their personal data set goals share fitness routines with friends (in real-time) and even rack up points which can be cashed in for cool deals on fitness equipment.

As of yet Amiigo is a startup therefore in the fund-raising stage which will launch in the form on an Indiegogo on October 29. Crossing the finish line for this new app would be raising $90,000 with the objective to start shipping the fitness tool by Spring of 2013.

CC image from Flickr