John (Ivo) Stivoric rolls up his sleeve, and there it is-the BodyMedia Armband sensor that has received a buzz of publicity from the likes of The New York Times and other publications. The device, which looks like an oversized wristwatch, is what Stivoric calls a "dashboard for the human body." The sensor communicates with his smartphone to give him real-time health updates. Stivoric, (A'93, '98), serves as BodyMedia's chief technology officer as well as vice president of new products.

Please explain what makes the Armband sensors work.
They sense motion, heat rate, temperature, and electrical conductivity from the skin. When the sensor data are run through our algorithms, the monitor recognizes whether you're-say-walking, running, driving in a car, sleeping, or just lying in bed staring at the ceiling. Then the Armband calculates things such as calories burned and sleep quality. With our Web or Mobile app, users can keep a food diary that automatically gets converted into calories consumed. The difference between calories in and out is what weight management is all about.

Is that any better than counting calories on scratch paper and going to the gym?
Our research shows that people using the BodyMedia system are three to seven more times successful at achieving their health and fitness goals than those who go it alone.

Does it do anything beyond weight control?
It has the potential to inspire a revolution in healthcare with a platform of new wearable health management devices for conditions as varied as diabetes, high blood pressure, and mental health maintenance.

How did the company get started?
It was on a Carnegie Mellon soccer field in 1994 that I met an artificial intelligence PhD student [Astro Teller (CS'98)]. We got to know each other, worked on some projects together with two others from Carnegie Mellon, and we eventually started a university-sponsored consulting company called Sandbox Advanced Development, where the idea of wearable body monitors surfaced. In 1999, Astro and I and Chris Kasabach (A'91) and Chris Pacione (A'89) spun BodyMedia out of Sandbox to commercialize the body monitor idea. Today, Astro and each Chris still have an equity stake in the company, but professionally they've moved on, though Astro is still an active director on our board.
- Tom Imerito