This week’s Smart Health roundup features a smart lighter to help smokers quit, a fitness system fueled for growth, a smart collar to better understand our pets.

Quitbit for healthier lungs

 .

Smoking is an addiction and though some claim they can easily quit if they want to, it’s not always so simple.  But in this day and age, emerging technology can help smokers who want to finally kick the habit.

Launched on Kickstarter, Quitbit is described as the last lighter a smoker will ever need.  Quitbit features a flameless heating element, using a heating coil similar to lighters used in cars. A single charge lasts up to 100 clicks or about a week, depending on how many sticks you light a day.  It has a built-in display to show how many sticks have been lighted, and if you pair Quitbit with its app, you can see more information such as how long ago the last smoke was, and how much money is being saved by not smoking. Quitbit can be customized to only light up during certain hours, and limit how many times it can be lit daily.

One concern is that Quitbit could  encourage smokers, but the makers state that since it helps smokers track their habit, this data will encourage them to cut down once they see how smoking affects them daily.  The lighter is also smart enough not to track consecutive lighting which happens when you share your lighter with others, so tracking your progress is pretty accurate.  It connects with a smartphone using Bluetooth LE which is not only useful to access more features, but can also be used to keep tabs on your lighter so you won’t lose it.  Quitbit is also TSA approved for travel purposes.

PEAR Sports gets $5M in funding

 .

PEAR Sports, makers of the fitness and monitoring system that delivers real-time audio coaching, received $5 million in a second round of funding led by existing investors Innovate Partners and Nordic Ventures, along with a number of “private and family office” investors.

The new round of funding will be used to expand PEAR’s marketing strategy for its app, as well as sell a white-label “Powered by Fuel” version of the technology to third parties such as athletic brands, weight loss companies and training organizations.

VIZIO, the smart TV maker, also participated in this round of funding and could be interested in a close partnership.  Although VIZIO has yet to release a confirming statement, it’s been suggested that PEAR Sports could be integrated into VIZIO smart TVs to deliver real-time coaching for people who prefer to workout at home, or for those days that you just don’t feel like going out for a run.

PetPace for healthy, happy pets

 .

With all the advancements in technology today, there’s still little available in the market that clearly communicates when our pets aren’t feeling well.  But there is a smart collar that could help us determine if our dog or cat is experiencing something out of the ordinary.

PetPace is a smart collar for dogs and cats that continuously monitors their temperature, pulse, respiration, activity, positions, calories and more, and allows pet owners to access data gathered on their smartphones via the accompanying app.  Not only that, your veterinarian will also be able to access your entire pet’s data, health-related alerts and medical history, which may be the key in the early detection of diseases and other health issues.

The collar is designed with active pets in mind, so it is water and dust resistant, shockproof and ruggedized, a single charge can last up to six weeks, and it has a single push button interface.  When PetPace detects any abnormal changes in the pet’s vital signs or suspicious trends such as long periods of inactivity or restlessness, the owner will be immediately alerted via a text message, email, or push notification on their smartphone.

The PetPace collar costs $150 and will initially be available in Massachusetts and Florida.  You can order the PetPace collar on their website or at BluePearl animal hospitals.  There’s a $15 monthly fee for the monitoring service that comes with the PetPace collar.