Following Kabata’s recent US$2m raise to propel its AI-powered haptic dumbbells onto the market, the startup has confirmed it’s aiming to launch between the end of 2022 and early 2023.

An immersive workout platform, Kabata’s smart, connected dumbbells – which offer users data-driven coaching, with haptic feedback and gamified progression – are the first in a series of connected fitness products the startup has planned for both B2B and B2C markets. The dumbbells are designed for everyone to use, from beginners to athletes and families.

Kabata’s dumbbells capture a range of metrics, from reps, sets and time under tension, to velocity, volume, power and calories. “We run AI and analytics on those metrics to understand whether a workout was fun or boring, easy or difficult, painful or painless,” explained co-founder Kareem Aly, in an exclusive interview with Fit Tech. “We know if you hit a personal best, if you struggled, if you left mid-workout. We know if you tilted or didn’t illustrate optimal form in a movement. Our level of comprehension is unmatched.”

The dumbbells benefit from proprietary technology and progression algorithms, developed by an engineering team which, combined, have published over twenty papers on motion sensors – Kabata’s core technology.

“Our motion sensor technology, embedded within the dumbbells themselves, captures full spatial estimation, comprehending everything from your exercises and lifts,” said Aly. “We’re thus able to track all workout metrics and use that data to coach and progress you.”

As the fitness market continues to innovate around enhancing the user experience, haptics technology is being utilised more frequently. Kabata’s dumbbells vibrate, pulse and rumble to keep a user engaged, such as when a set is completed.

“Unprecedented in the category, we can deliver different rumbles and pulses within the dumbbell handle as you’re fatiguing or hitting personal bests,” said Aly. “It’s another way we keep the experience fun, engaging and enjoyable, which keeps people coming back, achieving their goals, and surpassing their expectations.”

Courtside Ventures, one of the ten investors from May’s US$2m raise, said that “no founding team is better positioned to upend the dumbbell category than Kabata”.

“Kabata’s dumbbells combine the best of AI and robotics technology with comprehensive strength training and data-driven coaching to deliver a fitness experience that is unrivalled by anything in the marketplace today,” said Deepen Parikh, partner at Courtside Ventures. “Kabata offers the fitness training people pay tens of thousands for, and we’re thrilled to be backing a company that has the power to disrupt the industry at a fraction of the price.”

To connect to the dumbbells, users need to log into the platform’s app and – following an onboarding session – are presented with a customised six-week programme that features self-guided workouts and trainer-led classes.

Kabata also uses gamification – from fitness challenges with family and friends to competitions with other users around the world – to create a more engaging and shareable workout experience. Further features include “form guidance” which analyses movements and delivers feedback to improve the user’s mechanics, and “lightning mode”, which is currently patent pending, where the weight of the dumbbell can change from 5 to 60 pounds (2.5kg to 27kg) in under two seconds.

“Strength training needs to be part of your workout regimen – it’s scientifically proven that you burn more calories in the hours after a weight training session, as compared to a cardio workout,” said Aly. “In a world where experience is so important, the Kabata workout experience is incredibly immersive. We’re working tirelessly to make sure every piece of it is amazing, from start to finish and everything in between.”