Jennifer Bove’s thesis project at IDII explores the changing role of the mobile phone as a personal device, and how it could be adapted to better fit an active context.

Actively Mobile is a small disc worn on the wrist, arm or hip of those engaged in physical exercise. Incorporating the functionality only available currently by carrying several devices, it offers facilities and services such as a heart-rate monitor, an MP3 player, a mobile phone, a GPS locator, time and speed tracking, etc.

Among the services offered by the device: Buddy Run allows two or more people, running together but in different places, to share conversation and their current performance (to hear each other’s pace for example); Actively Mobile trainer can help those training for a race to plan their workouts, analyze their results, and even provide remote coaching by tracking the runners’ performance online.

The principles of Actively Mobile could also be applied to other sport or work activities.

PDF of the thesis.
Other works by Jennifer Bove: Collabola and the Egg.
P.S. the model of the second picture is much much prettier in real life ;-)