Intel announced Thursday that it is working with 50 Cent's SMS Audio to develop BioSport In-Ear, fitness headphones capable of monitoring a person's heart rate.
BioSport In-Ear is able to provide an accurate heart-rate reading with help from optical sensors that look at blood flow through the skin, according to CNET. A third-party company is responsible for making the sensors, but SMS Audio and Intel declined to reveal its name.
The ear buds are the latest move made by Intel in its involvement with wearables. The chipmaker bought fitness-band maker Basis Science in March, and announced Wednesday that it has partnered with the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research in order to use wearable technology to improve research and treatment for the disease, CNET reports.
"This is not a hobby for us at Intel," Mike Bell, general manager of New Devices at Intel, said in an interview Thursday. "We really believe that wearable technology is going to be a large segment."
The BioSport In-Ear is powered by a headphone jack, and its ear-hook design allows it to stay in the user's ears, The Verge reported. With help from an IPX4 liquid rating, the device can keep sweat and water out.
Intel unveiled a reference design for the ear buds at the Consumer Electronics Show in January in order to persuade companies to use the technology in their devices.
Boston-based FitnessKeeper is one company that is helping out with BioSport In-Ear. FitnessKeeper makes its RunKeeper app available for consumers to use to track their heart rates through the headphones, CNET reported. RunKeeper uses a smartphone's GPS to track other factors, such as distance and speed.
Brian Nohe, president of SMS, claims SMS' focus on producing headphones for sports and fitness separates the company from Apple's Beats, Bose and other headphone manufacturers. The company currently has NBA Carmelo Anthony as an investor, CNET reported.
Intel and SMS are looking to make the BioSport In-Ear available in stores in the fourth quarter, and will announce the price of the headphones later this year.
