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Quantified self: how Madrobots brought Picooc smart scales to Russia



Smart health gadgets are a given. It doesn’t matter whether they are evil or good, the conspiracy of corporations, the magic of marketers, or the natural evolution of things. There are a great many of them: trackers for any tasks, neuro headsets, posture correctors, massagers. Among these entertaining devices, smart scales are taking a confident position.

This is the story of how Madrobots found the Picooc scales and the scales found their buyer. And also about how the scales work and to whom they help.



Health gadgets introduce high technology to a wide audience. Until 2010, mainly professional athletes used heart rate monitors; The 10s taught us to monitor everything: from calories to steps and hours spent without gadgets. The first in the field of view of Nikolai Belousov, the founder of Madrobots, were Withings smart scales. He looked at them a year before the launch of the online store.

Nikolai Belousov:

It all started with the Quantified self movement. His philosophy is that you can influence something only when you can measure it. Accordingly, you can improve your health if you monitor its characteristics. The basis was the number of steps per day and weight. Around this concept, Fitbit and Withings appeared, who were ready to offer breakthrough solutions for the QS audience.

Nikolai “Crazy Robots” Belousov bought Withings smart floor scales in 2010 to lose weight. The scales worked on the principle of bio-impedance analysis: that is, we calculated the ratio of muscles and fat by the electrical resistance of body tissues. Useful information when you are trying to get rid of adipose tissue seriously, and not from water and muscles. Withings scales turned out to be the only model available at that time, since Fitbit did not sell its Aria smart scales in Russia.



Nikolai Belousov:
In order not to fight alone, we teamed up with friends (there were about 10 of us, each took such a scale) - and began to compete. The auto-posting function on Twitter was built into the application and there was internal competitive mechanics to compare their successes with the successes of others.

On a personal experiment with weights, the case ended. Temporarily. Then, in 2010, it did not occur to me that such a product could be distributed in Russia. A few years later, one meeting was enough to see the potential of the gadget.

How Madrobots found Picooc




This happened in the summer of 2017, at the Distree technology exhibition in Monaco. Distree is a specialized event for brands and distributors, where top managers are invited. No onlookers, no bright show for the public, only business.

Nikolai Belousov:
This was the last Distree, on which you could find something interesting. According to the rules of the exhibition, manufacturers pay distributors accommodation in Monaco. For this you have a minimum of 10 one-on-one meetings.
It looks like speed dating: everyone gathers in the same room and runs from stand to stand every few minutes. So I met with the Picooc brand.

At that time, Picooc was four years old. The company developed only in China and, along with many Chinese startups, mastered minimalism a la Apple. Unlike competitors, the Picooc team understood the importance of all aspects of the product. Mostly applications. Therefore, the company was engaged in "big data."

Nikolai Belousov:
We talked and I realized that scales are a big market. And Picooc, first of all, is an IT company that makes a fitness application. They offer a quality information product.

The main problem of the Chinese is a poor study of interfaces and poor translation. In English, the Picooc application looked decent: graphs, icons ... We have to take it, we decided.

It turned out to be the most pleasant that the scales were quietly integrated into everyday life. You use a good gadget and don’t notice what it is; Picooc scales are just that. No worse than Withings, but cheaper.

How Picooc found its customer


The first 5,000 Picooc weights arrived in Russia in the fall of 2017, just in time for Black Friday. It was as if they were waiting for them - and at the moment they swept them off the virtual shelves (not without the help of “marketing magic”). To meet the high demand, in January 2018, an airplane with an urgent second batch flew from China. The third had to be loaded into a larger container.



Nikolay believes that the whole point is in the moment. In 2010, scales connected to a smartphone were rare, since smartphones themselves had just begun to spread.

Nikolai Belousov:
We were at the right time in the right place when smartphones and applications became an integral part of life. Withings scales appeared too early for the market, in addition, the company did not adapt the product for Russia. For Picooc, Madrobots did it.

The trend towards replacing “stupid” devices with “smart” ones, which also depends on the spread of smartphones, has done its job. If a smart device can not be bought much more expensive than an ordinary one, then they will take it. And Picooc are affordable.

How does it even work


Picooc smart scales work on the same principle as Withings and Fitbit: the already mentioned bio-impedance analysis. Sensors are built into the weighing platform. When the user steps on them, the device passes an imperceptible electrical impulse through the feet. Tissue resistance is the basis for calculating the percentage of fat, lean mass and body water content.



The remaining indicators are displayed in the Picooc cloud. The cloud and the application for him are the pride of the company, researchers from the University of Chicago and Chinese nutritionists worked on its algorithms. The Picooc application is constantly evolving and adapting, and thanks to new users, its accuracy and functionality are growing. Big data is a serious business.



Picooc obtained a medical device license in China. According to independent tests, the measurement results are close to bio-impedance analysis performed in a clinical setting. In this case, the scales measure the composition of the lower body and the application extrapolates the results, which does not prevent the data from being relevant.

Now the scales and the Picooc app count more than 10 indicators. They are divided into current, ideal (based on gender, height, age and ethnicity) and control (how much you need to dial / reset):

  • Body weight (kg / ideal / control)
  • Muscle (% / kg / ideal / control)
  • Internal Fat Index
  • Basic metabolic rate (current / target / control)
  • Water in the body (%)
  • Protein (%)
  • Bone mass
  • Skeletal muscle (%)
  • Body mass index
  • Metabolic age
  • Lean body mass
  • Body rating
  • Body type



The same algorithms analyze the body and the changes occurring in it. The output is graphs with useful explanations and text tips. Libra will warn if a person continues to get fat after the holidays, and also recognize bad diets. They will praise in advance if the user began to grow muscles due to physical exertion, and are well versed in borderline situations. For the gadget, of course.



The app has a sports beta developed for athletes and athletes. It takes into account the difference between a regular and a trained body and allows you to quickly adjust your workouts to achieve results most effectively.



Picooc scales help you understand the tricks of a healthy lifestyle: analyze the body and give specific advice. The gadget does not replace a doctor; if you need expert opinion - contact a specialist. But in other cases, the tips from the application can and should be guided.

What the line looks like now


All Picooc scales measure the same parameters with the same accuracy. Similar minimalist design: cool tempered glass platform, plastic case with a low center of gravity, rubberized legs. Each model has a display hidden under the glass, the scales will show the number of kilograms without connecting.


Picooc S1 Pro

Differences only in the way of communication (Bluetooth or Wi-Fi) and in the size of the platform. Models with an enlarged platform are more convenient for people with large stops, this does not affect the measurement in any way.
.
MiniBluetooth26Ă—26Ă—2411,21502 990
Mini ProBluetooth28,7Ă—28,7Ă—2451,611503 790
S1 ProBluetooth34Ă—26Ă—2441,7150-
Big ProBluetooth31Ă—31Ă—2,2482,41805 990
Picooc S3 LiteWi-Fi34Ă—26Ă—2441,71506 990
Picooc S3Bluetooth + Wi-Fi32,2Ă—32,2Ă—2,4502,31507 990
Prices are normal. PICHABR promo code - Madrobots has a 20% discount on all models.

All models are white except Mini. These scales have a stylish alternative black color.


Picooc Mini

In order to measure your settings on the Bluetooth scales, you need to start the application before weighing and press the button in it.


Picooc Mini Pro

The model with Wi-Fi independently determines that it is uploaded, and then uploads the data to the cloud in the desired account. That is, you do not need to press anything in the smartphone.


Picooc S3 Lite

The Picooc S3 model connects to a smartphone via Bluetooth, or to a network via Wi-Fi. You can always choose which mode is more convenient to work with.


Picooc s3

How we made the scales even more useful


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Picooc scales are sold well in their native China, in neighboring South Korea and here in Russia. Madrobots actively helps refine the functionality of Picooc. A huge user base has taken shape here. Up to 200 calls per day come to customer support: reviews, questions, suggestions.

The Madrobots team processes all this information and gives it to the developers; they include wishes and corrections in the new version of the product. From the last realized: indicators of muscle and fat in kilograms. This was requested by users-athletes. As a result, in the latest update, it became possible to watch metrics in kilograms and in the previously existing percentages, and even display them on a graph.

Right now, on our initiative, the weighing mechanism is being supplemented. We received requests that people want to measure the weight of pets and children, holding them in their arms. Others worry about the accuracy of weighing with a smartphone in their hands, in clothes and even with magnificent dreadlocks weighing two kilograms. Also, people would like to consider implants and prostheses.

We collected these requests and then explained to the developers the importance of this feature. Result: Picooc develops the necessary functionality and will add it in the next updates.



Sometimes appeals are non-standard and relate to painful life situations. The young couple had Wi-Fi scales and combined accounts. The couple broke up, hard; the scales left with the girl, and the young man got himself new ones.

Notifications from the old scales continued to come and disturb the emotional wound. He could not split the accounts, as the couple stopped communicating. Madrobots and Picooc solved this complex problem for him by pulling an account of a suffering soul through a database.

A healthy mind in a healthy body! All Picooc scales are waiting for you in our online store with a 20% discount on the PICHABR promotional code . The promotion will last until April 30. Delivery is free throughout Russia when ordering from 5,000 rubles. Do not be sick, wash your hands and stay at home.

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