from Hacker News

OutRun – Open-source, privacy oriented, outdoor fitness tracker

by 27theo on 1/16/24, 3:48 PM with 64 comments

  • by apatheticonion on 1/16/24, 10:05 PM

    I really want this for sleep tracking.

    There are so many devices, each have their own algorithm for sleep tracking and the device I pick largely depends on the accuracy of the device's sleep tracking.

    However there are new apps, like Nukkuaa, an (EU only) sleep analysis app that uses any heart-rate tracker (like a bluetooth fitness chest strap) and infers sleep quality from the data.

    A generic app expands what devices are available to me. Right now I use CGM tape and stick a Fitbit Charge 3 on my tricep - but I dislike the Fitbit app and if I change to another brand I cannot export my logs.

    A third party app has the potential to train against more data than any individual single brand could and, with appropriate tagging, could possible offer better accuracy. Open source would be icing on the cake.

    Additionally, it would be great if devices like the Fitbit Charge could be used as a bluetooth heart rate monitor that can be used on apps that consume trackers on a (presumably) standard API (like TrainerRoad, Zwift, etc).

    - https://www.nukkuaa.com/en

  • by tobiasbischoff on 1/16/24, 8:44 PM

    I'm in the EU and very excited that i possibly could compile and sideload apps like that to my phone soon.

  • by sampli on 1/17/24, 12:00 AM

    I’ve been using outrun for a year now and it’s really great! Always nice to see a good product featured on HN

  • by INTPenis on 1/16/24, 10:20 PM

    What about an Android alternative?

  • by sen on 1/16/24, 9:58 PM

    I’ve been wanting something like this but so long, and had it on my list of projects to potentially try making. All I need is basic tracking of my walks/runs to motivate myself, and have zero desire for all the other bloat most fitness apps have.

  • by iamacyborg on 1/16/24, 10:48 PM

    Given that there’s no mention of fitness trackers, I assume you need to record the activity on your phone?

    That’s not ideal, but I’m definitely not the target market as I’m happy to buy one of the higher end Garmin models.

  • by richrichardsson on 1/17/24, 10:17 AM

    I'm quite surprised Sega's lawyers didn't already come knocking over the name for this in the previous 4 years.

  • by gen220 on 1/16/24, 10:48 PM

    I started building something like this for myself (as a CLI tool, so way less ambitious). It’s a pretty fun project with a tight feedback loop.

    Parsing GPS data is surprisingly simple.

    It surprised me to learn that different apps will “smooth” out measures like elevation and distance — it’s actually quite a rich problem space with a few interesting solutions.

  • by carra on 1/17/24, 11:05 AM

    Seeing both "OutRun" and "tracker" in the title I thought this would be a thread about synthwave music (which would be very cool).

  • by voisin on 1/16/24, 9:57 PM

    I see ways to sync new runs but no way to import all past runs from Apple Health

  • by bmitc on 1/17/24, 2:41 AM

    "... tracker iOS app"

  • by tibu on 1/16/24, 9:04 PM

    Project seems to be dead.

  • by bartread on 1/16/24, 10:48 PM

    I realise naming is hard but, as a big fan of Sega's iconic 1980s arcade racing game and its sequels - and at willing risk of sounding a little bit gatekeepy - I must admit that I don't particularly appreciate this project's appropriation of the name OutRun.

    Also, it doesn't appear to be getting a lot of activity, which suggest it's perhaps not a going concern.

  • by speps on 1/16/24, 7:30 PM

    I was briefly excited that it was related to the classic video game: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_Run

  • by neilv on 1/16/24, 10:29 PM

    Open-source, privacy oriented, outdoor fitness tracker... for Apple iOS.

  • by bhakunikaran on 1/17/24, 7:58 AM

    I wonder how Patrick thinks new tech like blockchain or AI might change the way we handle money. Will it make things easier, or will it bring new challenges?