PNOE's 2.0 mask drops the trained operator from metabolic breath testing

A member gets to the gym before any staff do, takes a mask off the shelf and starts the test herself. Apostolos Atsalakis, PNOE's co-founder and chief executive, described the routine as "just wear the mask, push the button, sit down," followed by eight minutes of breathing ^[2]. "That's it. It's that easy," he said ^[3].

PNOE's pitch is accuracy. The company promises lab-grade results in a portable package ^[7]. Until now this kind of test has needed bulky, expensive equipment, found mainly in sports labs and hospitals ^[10]. "We made it accessible to everyone," Atsalakis said ^[16]. For a gym, the 2.0 changes who has to be in the room. The current device needs a trained operator ^[4], so a gym without one could not offer the test.

Capacity is the next thing to check. At eight minutes of breathing per test, one unit can finish at most seven complete tests in an hour, since 60 divided by 8 is 7.5 ^[1]. That ceiling comes before anyone changes masks or reads a screen. A gym expecting a queue before work has to buy extra units to handle it. Atsalakis said the new unit is smaller, with fewer parts, and more reliable because of that ^[12]. PNOE built it with Milan-based Design Group Italia over "a lot, a lot, a lot of iterations," because, in Atsalakis's account, nobody had built a self-administered metabolic tester before ^[11].

Then the member gets her result. The report covers 23 biomarkers ^[6], and PNOE's software turns them into advice on eating and training ^[7]. Once the operator is gone, that software is the only explanation she gets on site. Atsalakis is plain about its limits. "It's like a body composition device, like a scale," he said. "A doctor cannot prescribe medication based on our results." ^[13]

Atsalakis calls VO2 max the strongest predictor of human longevity ^[14]. Nobody will know what members actually do with an unattended test, including whether they come back or change how they train, until the device ships on October 1 ^[1]. The TechCrunch report does not include a price for the hardware or the masks.

The first question for a gym is whether anyone on the floor can explain a metabolic flexibility reading. The second is whether members come for a number or for a plan.

- Staff on hand, members who want a plan: keep the test inside a paid coaching session. Self-serve mainly saves setup time. - Staff on hand, members who want a number: put the unit on the floor and let staff answer questions as they come up. - No staff, members who want a number: Atsalakis named fitness centers without dedicated staff as a target ^[5]. A VO2 max figure from the software may be all these members need. - No staff, members who want a plan: the software's recommendations are the entire product, and nobody is on site when a reading worries someone.

After launch, the useful figure is the share of members who take a second test.