My last update was that LVL hydration sensors were in ‘alpha’ round about now and that the data that had been produced so far has been good.
A recent update seems to now be setting a schedule for one year hence (2018).
There also seems to be a round of investment from Samsung and that is prompting/paying for a re-design.
I guess these things happen. But it’s a bit disappointing.
And there are quite a few backers who share that disappointment.
The positive-thinking person in me would expect that Samsung saw a great global potential for this device (and I would agree with that) but wanted it exactly right, perhaps so that they could then licence (or acquire) the tech for their own-branded devices.
EDIT: BUT THE POSITIVE ME APPEARS TO BE WRONG – DON’T INVEST IN THIS.
Last Updated on 13 November 2025 by the5krunner
My favourite kit and nutrition
- Maurten — the race nutrition trusted by elite athletes. Gels and drink mix engineered to be easy on the stomach.
- Garmin 90-degree charging adapter — the small adapter that keeps your charging cable tidy at the stem. Essential for race day.
- Garmin charging puck — the fastest and most reliable way to top up your Garmin before a session.
- Ravemen FR300 — front light that mounts directly under your Garmin or Wahoo head unit. Keeps your bars clean and your beam pointed where it matters.
- Garmin Varia RTL515 — radar rear light that alerts you to vehicles approaching from behind. Pairs with your Edge or Garmin watch.
- Stryd — the footpod that brings running power to your Garmin. The single most useful running upgrade I have made.
- Favero Assioma Pro RS2 — the power meter pedals most serious cyclists end up choosing. Accurate, easy to move between bikes.
Reader-Powered Content
This content is not sponsored. It’s mostly me behind the labour of love, which is this site, and I appreciate everyone who supports it.
Support the site: Follow (free, fewer ads) · Subscribe (paid, ad-free) · Buy Me A Coffee ❤️
All articles are written by real people, fact-checked, and verified for originality. See the Editorial Policy. FTC: Affiliate Disclosure — some links pay commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
tfk is the founder and author of the5krunner, an independent endurance sports technology publication. With 20 years of hands-on testing of GPS watches and wearables, and competing in triathlons at an international age-group level, tfk provides in-depth expert analysis of fitness technology for serious athletes and endurance sport competitors. ID
My pragmatic view is that some updates were disingenuous and the $50k target woefully short of a realistic budget. But otherwise much of what I read is common in product development. Win some lose some, such is life.
Meanwhile they could start a kickstarter campaign for “BRTH – breathing sensor”. ?
hold that thought.
(that’s quite funny/pun-ish if your knowledge of English sayings is good)…maybe 😉
Thanks. (I aimed for a “pun-ish” comment. But, as I’m not a native english speaker, I wasn’t sure if I #gtd.)
And after LVL and BRTH we need “SHHT – next gen ?ty sensor”.
$50K !! They raised over $1.8m from backers so where has that money gone?
Good question.
I have some faith that this will turn out alright. Just on a much-delayed timescale. I don’t imagine Samsung will want to upset too many people.
Easy answer. $50k would have gotten then a basic product out the door that did hydration level. $1.8 million made them think they could develop a much better and well developed product to compete with the much much larger companies and they overshot. The basics are easy, the refinements are hard.
Come on, don’t trying to fool me by showing a few pieces of circuit broads! The are totally crab! Sound like you don’t even have a clue to how to make the product work?! You kept delaying the project and buying time to steal more money from Samsung before you bankrupt and disappear from the world.
I WANT THE REFUND NOW!!!!!!
Don’t believe it, folks. The tech does not exist and never did. The whole thing was a fraud. All the numbers and ‘results’ are pure fabrications, as were the timelines. This has been shown conclusively. https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2017/10/bsx-insight-lvl-hydration-sensor.html
yep, that’s pretty damming. I amde a quick edit to this old post
Hdrop anyone? 😂
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hdrop/hdrop-real-time-hydration-wearable-device-monitor?ref=6g4knz&token=8d5602c8
yup looks ugly but interesting (if it works). contacted them a couple of days ago.
It’s a pity you have to be backer to ask any questions, as like you I’m sure, I’ve got plenty to ask.
you can ask them questions on the website. there is a chat facility.
the guy running it looks plausible. Multiple ironman finisher