At first glance Fitkat doesn’t look any different from a majority of today’s fitness trackers. It can keep up with one’s activity and sleep, while also delivering notifications from a smartphone to the user’s wrist.

The difference, however, is in the way the underlying software works. Instead of just presenting users with raw data, it will rely on social support to make them exercise, or continue with their regimen; Fitkat encourages users to give up on their bad habits.

Fitkat encourages users to give up on their bad habits.“People hardly find time to think about being physically fit. Instead of engaging in activities that can benefit their health, many people prefer doing activities and vices that will do no good to their lives,” says Fitkat founder Chirag Jagtiani in an email message to VentureBeat.

As part of its plan to humanize wearable devices, Fitkat boasts a dedicated SOS button that sends out a distress signal to five social support contacts as defined within the Fitkat app. This button is intended to be clicked on when user is in “danger” of skipping a workout or eating an unhealthy meal, for instance. These contacts, which could include a nutritionist or gym coach, will also be able to check user’s progress in real-time.

This entire process, Fitkat claims, should help people give up on their bad habits and adopt new, healthy ones. Additionally, the device also makes it easy to track water intake throughout the day.

The Fitkat smart band and app will be released later this year.

[Via: VentureBeat]