What fitness trackers will look like in the future

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

People's interest in health is growing steadily. And along with it, smart fitness electronics are experiencing their first boom: watches, bracelets, accessories. But it will still be when the second wave of much more accurate, informative and error-free gadgets rolls over.

A food diary is a faithful assistant in the fight against excess weight. True, it must be conducted with the utmost objectivity, and this is beyond the power of most of us. Studies have shown that those who are losing weight strive to attribute to themselves excess physical activity and slightly lie in the amount of calories eaten. Theoretically, the situation can be saved by impartial electronics, secretly recording our every step. There is little to do - to make sure the measurements are accurate. And there is a problem here.

In 2013, a group of American scientists was puzzled by the question: how accurately do fitness devices determine the body's energy expenditure? To do this, ten men and nine women performed a four-hour exercise session during which they wore five activity trackers. The data obtained from the gadgets was compared with the numbers determined by the method of indirect calorimetry.

With indirect calorimetry, energy consumption is calculated based on the isolation of gas exchange: the amount of oxygen consumed by the body during a certain time and the amount of carbon dioxide released during this time are determined. Since the release of energy occurs as a result of the oxidation of substances to the final products - carbon dioxide, water and ammonia, there is a certain relationship between the amount of oxygen consumed, the released energy and carbon dioxide. Knowing the value of the respiratory coefficient, you can use special tables to determine the amount of released energy in calories.

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Of course, they turned out to be disappointing for all sports fans. The wearable device root mean square error ranged from 14% to 28%. Moreover, the gadget from Fibit showed itself the worst of all.

A similar 2014 study at Iowa State University came to more encouraging conclusions. Eight devices tested showed a perfectly acceptable error of 10 to 13%.

Of course, a lot of water has flown under the bridge since then, and it is safe to say that the sensors have become more sensitive, and the algorithms are smarter. But did anyone check? At least in the budget segment, judging by the Xiaomi Mi Band 1S, complete chaos reigns. The accelerometer built into the super popular wristband easily confuses running with walking, which I already talked about. Taking this opportunity, I'll kick the Chinese craft one more time.

Recently I had a chance to test the heart rate sensor on two Xiaomi Mi Band 1S at the same time. Only in one of ten measurements did both bracelets show the same values. Basically, the difference was 10-15 contractions, and sometimes as much as 30. It was terrible to look at. The entire honest company that watched the experiment was merciless in its conclusions:

The Xiaomi Mi Band 1S is as useful as a puck from an intercom.

I sincerely hope that an error has crept in somewhere, for example, one of the sensors just junked.

Although, in truth, my personal experience of using two generations of the bracelet brought many similar disappointments. I wish Xiaomi Mi Band 2 to become a truly outstanding device, but I will not buy it - stop hoping for a miracle. "Chinese Apple" wants to sell as much, but for some reason does not want to provide high-quality software support for its products.

Let's get back to the topic. I dare to assume that more expensive and advanced trackers for 200-500 dollars have a very insignificant error in determining steps, cardio zones and ascents. But what about pull-ups, push-ups, and other strength training? It is much more difficult to take them into account. Apparently, we need another technological breakthrough that will change our understanding of really smart gadgets. And it looks like something is brewing.

Sweat sensors

It's hard to work out and not sweat. So why not use sweat - an aqueous solution of organic matter and salts - to track a person's energy consumption? For example, the amount of lactic acid in sweat is directly related to the level of exercise. Moreover, by the concentration of electrolytes, we can talk about the hydration of the body.

At the end of May, engineers from the University of California at San Diego reported on the successful testing of a completely new device that records biochemical and electrophysiological signals from the body simultaneously. Chem-Phys Patch continuously detects lactate and records an electrocardiogram in real time. The accuracy of the readings, according to the developers, corresponds to the already established commercial products.

Earlier, in January 2016, a team of the University of California at Berkeley presented an equally interesting prototype. Scientists have created a flexible system of sensors that measure the temperature of the skin, as well as metabolites, sodium and potassium in sweat. The gadget interprets the data and displays it on the smartphone screen without any delay.

Sweat sensors open up almost limitless possibilities for monitoring the health of the body. In the coming years, athletes will be able to prevent cramps, overwork or dehydration, patients - heart attacks, and any of us - stress. The latter is especially interesting. Scientists claim that certain sweat biomarkers can be used to judge the mental state of a person at any given moment.

Sounds pretty cool. However, it is too early to give their Polar V800s to parents or children to wear: engineers are very careful in their forecasts. They say just wait and wait. I would like to quickly. And you?