Dole Introduces The Wearable Banana, Giving Tokyo Marathon Runners Their Heart Rate And A Snack

Dole will lunch the Wearable Banana during the Tokyo Marathon this weekend.

There’s no denying that wearable technology is popular with consumers; from the Fitbit to the highly anticipated Apple Watch. But there’s a new wearable that not only provides users with information about their health, but also with a snack.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Dole – you know, the fruit producer – will debut the Wearable Banana at the Tokyo Marathon this weekend.

The high-tech fruit gives users all of the same information they’ve become accustomed to with typical wearables like their heart rate, lap time and a GPS tracker. That information, as well as messages of support from family and friends, will be displayed on the banana’s peel via LED lights.

A spokesperson for Dole, which is a sponsor of the marathon, tells the WSJ that the new device is worn around the wrist and comes connected with a cord to a separate device that the runner must carry.

“The banana will be peeled first to remove its content, and then resealed after a LED display and a smaller banana is put inside,” the spokeswoman says.

Following Sunday’s race, the two runners who will be sporting the promotional gadget can peel and then eat the banana.

While Dole says it is unlikely that the wearable will be mass-produced, it may look into creating other wearable technology that could hold a banana inside.

Wearable Banana Watch Coming to Tokyo Marathon [The Wall Street Journal]

by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist