Focused on Software

Fitbit: The tool enables programmers to use Fitbit data in their applications.

Health bar chart: This service stores your health and fitness-related data in the cloud, giving users rapid access to engage with and compare their data with that of many other users.

Lumo: Thanks to the API, developers can now access data from LumoBack and Lumo Lift.

Strava: Strava is the name of the social media platform for athletes and fitness lovers. Without a doubt, Strava encourages competition among app users.

Withings: An industry leader in connected health gadget design and innovation. Great functionalities are offered via the API without sacrificing quality. Sign up to become a thing developer.

Google’s API for health: The open ecosystem is brimming with features that let you automate fitness data storage while allowing you access and control over it for improved services.

Shimmer: It boasts the distinction of being the first open-source platform for integrating health data. It can help you gain control over digital health data.

MisFit: Enables developers to incorporate sleep and activity tracking capabilities seamlessly. Users can have a weekly physical activity report and simultaneously store their sleep logs in a Google spreadsheet.

Jawbone: The open-source Jawbone UP platform offers SDKs and APIs for creating fitness tracking applications. You can also attach hardware to the platforms, thanks to this.

Garmin: It offers the necessary tools to make it easier for you to create mobile applications for Garmin’s wearable technology.

BMI estimator: As its name implies, the BMI calculator API helps users determine their BMI. Body mass index (BMI), which accounts for both men and women and is used to calculate body fat, is only a calculation based on the ratio of height to weight. PHP, Node, Objective-C, CURL, Java, Ruby, and.NET were used to create the API.

Breezometer air quality API: The Breezometer API delivers database-stored real-time Air Quality data.

You can also have access to old data. This API allows requests that include both latitude and longitude coordinates and returns the result as a scale from 1 to 100. A configurable interface chart with color readings is also used to display the outcome. Additionally, it offers advice on how to keep healthy considering the air quality in your area at the time.

Exist: This software keeps track of all your habits and lifestyle choices, including your weight, level of exercise, mood, amount of sleep, computer use, and many more. Developers can include Exist into an open-source tool by using an API provided by Exist.

FoodSpex: This program offers comprehensive nutritional details on foodstuffs. The report includes information on the nutritional value, bar code, calories, fat, and a complete list of all nutrients. Nutritionists, dieticians, retailers, and public health initiatives can benefit from this knowledge.

Meritocracy Unofficial API: Fitocracy is an unauthorized API that motivates users by incorporating gamification components and social media.

It has been created as a straightforward read-only API that reads profile data. Images from user profiles, follower counts, and user progress are among the information gathered.

Return to Report Contents ▲

Focused on Hardware

Wrist wearables: Fitness bands and smartwatches

Ambient light sensors: As its name implies, the sensor monitors the quantity of ambient light. To prevent eye strain, they automatically detect and alter the brightness of the display panel.

The most recent technology created to solve the drawbacks of other ALS treatments is known as photo ICs, sometimes ALS ICs. Photodiode sensing provides relatively low dispersion in addition to the expanded functionality made possible by integration, such as amplification, logic control, and shutdown capability. There are analog and digital photo ICs available, and depending on the application, each has advantages. The integrated functionality of photo IC reduces the need for additional circuitry, which increases board space requirements and costs. As a result, many designers are switching from discrete to picture ICs.

UVA Detection and Digital Sun Protection with Ultra-small Ambient Light Sensor

A unique UV-A light-detecting ambient light sensor is available from AMS OSRAM. Since a few years ago, it has been possible to use smartphones and smartwatches to monitor vital signs like pulse or blood oxygen saturation. The TSL2585 from AMS OSRAM’s equivalent UV channel measures the UV-A radiation in ambient light. That makes it possible to alert the user to excessive UV-A radiation. The sensor is perfect for wearable technology and other mobile applications because of its small size.

Bioimpedance sensors:-The sensor assesses the body tissues’ resiliency to even the tiniest quantity of electric current. It gathers physiological data such as heartbeat, respiration rate, and galvanic skin response.

They are better than optical sensors in that they lack energy.

Bioelectrical impedance can be accurately calculated even with very small electrodes, thanks to a wrist-worn bioelectrical impedance analyzer with a contact resistance compensation mechanism (outer electrodes: 68 mm2; inner electrodes: 128 mm2). The upper-body portable commercial body fat analyzer performs better than the correlation coefficient and SEE of percentage body fat related to the DEXA equipment, which is predicted to be 0.899 and 3.8%BF, respectively. This sensor technology opens up a new prospect for a wearable bioelectrical impedance analyzer with more small electrodes for daily obesity treatment, given that the measurement time of our wrist-worn BIA device was only 7 s and might be further decreased.

Skin response sensors:-Any change in body temperature during physical exercise is detected by the sensor and shared. It transfers the heart rate throughout a workout to determine stress levels.

Occasionally, one must exert control over various emotional circumstances that could put them in danger in the medium and near term. According to certain research, stress raises the possibility of heart issues. Mara Viqueira Villarejo, Begona Garcia Zapirain, and Amaia Méndez Zorrilla created and constructed a stress sensor based on Galvanic Skin Reaction (GSR) ZigBee will control. They used 16 persons (eight women and eight men) to perform various tests that required some level of effort, such as performing mathematical operations or inhaling deeply, to evaluate the device’s effectiveness. With a success percentage of 76.56%, GSR can successfully identify each user’s various states after completion. We intend to develop an algorithm to distinguish between each state in the future.

Barometric altimeter:-These are thought to be more accurate and trustworthy than GPS. To track altitude, it measures air pressure. It helps with physical tasks like stair climbing and tracking, among others.

Altitude is measured using a novel MEMS piezoresistive pressure sensor and microcontroller. The pressure sensor’s temperature drift error is corrected using a quadratic pressure compensation technique. To further increase measurement accuracy, the adjusted pressure value is digitally filtered using a median filtering method in conjunction with an arithmetic average filtering method. According to experimental findings, the proposed approach can function with a resolution of up to 0.62 m at altitudes ranging from -0.75 km to 10 km. It has benefits like compact size, low power consumption, excellent precision, and dependability. High-precision altitude measuring, positioning, and navigation can be carried out using this technique and technology with the assistance of GPS, flight control, and portable devices.

Accelerometer: The hardware’s purpose is to track motion and measure acceleration. The main modes of data collection include cycling, running, walking, and swimming. Speed, distance, cadence, calories burned, and other information is collected.

Distributors sell the Bosch Sensortec BMA400, an ultra-low power MEMS acceleration sensor for Internet of Things (IoT) and wearable applications.

Because of its low current consumption, built-in plug-and-play step counting, and activity detection features, the BMA400 considerably extends the battery life of wearables like smartwatches and fitness trackers. It can wake up automatically when it detects motion and fall back to sleep once the movement has stopped to avoid disturbing the primary application processor. Longer intervals between charges are made possible by this feature’s significantly reduced power consumption.

The BMA400 is a great option for hassle-free use in Internet of Things (IoT) applications such as indoor climate management and security systems in smart homes because of its continuous measuring capabilities and always-defined bandwidth. For example, false alarms can be avoided by distinguishing between real alarms, such as broken glass, and deceptive signals brought on by random vibrations. Due to the extraordinarily low power usage, battery replacement is considerably more frequent in households. Due to its best-in-class features, the BMA400 was awarded the coveted CES 2018 Innovation Award in the category of Embedded Technologies.

In Silicon Sensing’s Gemini® MEMS, the CMS combi-dual-axis sensor’s accelerometer and the accelerometer A pair of silicon MEMS detectors made of spring “proof” masses are used as MEMS combi-sensors to precisely detect linear acceleration in two orthogonal axes. Each mass supplies the movable plate of an array of interlaced “fingers” with varying capacitance.

Gyroscopes:- This gear determines an object’s orientation in space using gravity on earth. You can install the gyroscope individually or use it with the accelerometer.

The MEMS gyroscope

MEMS, or micro-electro-mechanical systems, is a technical word. MEMS sensor structures typically have dimensions between 1 and 100 microns. A vibrating element is used in MEMS gyroscopes to measure the rate. Any vibrating body tends to vibrate on its plane of vibration, according to the underlying principle. Consequently, the vibrating body will exert force on the platform if the orientation of the forum to which it is connected has altered. This force, which can measure, can be used to compute the output.

Advantages of MEMS gyroscopes over FOG/RLG:

• It is quite efficient at saving space. These can be installed on electronic circuits because they are available as chips.
• Adequate execution. The performance precision of MEMS gyroscopes is advancing along with technology.
• Unlike DTG/RLG, there are no moving parts; hence maintenance is unnecessary.
•  It costs a small percentage of what FOG or RLG does.

Magnetometers:-All forms of aircraft and spacecraft require the magnetometer, also referred to as a magnetic sensor, which is a sensor for gauging magnetic induction (magnetic field intensity). They establish Cardinal direction. They can be fitted with those mentioned above or individually, like gyroscopes. The choice depends on whether an app is required and how much help the wearable device offers.

The 3-axis digital geomagnetic sensor BMM150, which has low power and noise, is ideal for compass applications through sensor data fusion software created for the hardware, the BMM150 offers absolute spatial orientation and motion vectors with high accuracy and kinetics. The BMM150 is ideally suited to handle drones with an erroneous heading. A 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis gyroscope-based inertial measurement unit, such as Bosch Sensortec’s BMI055, can be used in conjunction with the BMM150.

Chest strap:-ECG sensors are used to calculate the heart rate. They measure the user’s pulse rate using LED beams. There are two groups: those who are working and those who are unwinding.

Wearable ECG devices can completely change how doctors manage various cardiovascular conditions (CVD). Young individuals, the elderly, and those with chronic conditions benefit from these systems. The elderly are more susceptible to heart-related problems. Continuous ECG monitoring will help with early prevention measure detection. These technologies will help develop very effective ambulatory ECG devices that will overcome the limitations of resting ECG devices.

Possible Innovations

Due to their two-way piezoelectric properties, the next-generation sensors created by MIT can transmit data wirelessly without using batteries or Bluetooth chips. Gallium nitride can produce an electrical signal in response to mechanical strain and mechanical vibration in response to electrical impulses. The sensor’s vital component is this chemical. It is a premium ultrathin film. The material, according to scientists, can be utilized for wireless communications and the detection of health indicators.

Jeehwan Kim claims that “chips require much power, but our machine could make a system very light without any power-hungry chips.” Kim is a principal investigator in the Research Laboratory of Electronics and an associate professor of mechanical technology, materials science, and engineering. You may remotely monitor your pulse, perspiration, and other biological indications by using it in conjunction with a wireless reader on your iPhone and bandaging it to your body.

Identifying health signs

To improve any incoming or outgoing electrical signal, the researchers mixed pure, single-crystalline gallium nitride samples with a gold conducting layer.

They demonstrated how a person’s pulse and the amount of salt in their sweat might cause the gadget to vibrate. The material’s vibrations produced an electrical signal, and a nearby receiver could read it. Without a chip or battery, it would enable the gadget to relay sensory data wirelessly.

Then, they peeled away incredibly thin single-crystalline layers of gallium nitride using a technique called “Remote epitaxy.”Gallium nitride is an extremely sensitive piezoelectric material when it is pure and faultless. The researchers intended to employ a pure gallium nitride layer to detect and wirelessly transmit surface acoustic waves and vibrations across the layers. These pulses may be used to infer someone’s heart rate or, less obviously, the presence of certain compounds on their skin, such as salt in perspiration. The mechanical vibrations of the sensor and the electrical signal it automatically provides to the receiver would be impacted by any alteration in the circumstances of the skin, such as an elevated heart rate. 

Yeong Kim, a co-author of the study, asserts that the pattern of surface acoustic waves on the gallium nitride layer may be influenced by changes in the pulse, substances in perspiration, or even exposure to UV light. Because of its sensitivity, our film can recognize these changes.

Transfer of data wirelessly.

It was time to test data transmission now that gallium nitride could identify health markers via skin changes and vibrations. The researchers combined the ultra-thin film of high-grade, pure gallium nitride with a gold layer to enhance the electrical signal. The tiny film, which is about 250 nanometers thick and about 100 times thinner than human hair, was given considerable flexibility by the gold layer’s deposition pattern.

The ‘e-skin’ was placed on the participants’ wrists and necks, and a basic dipole was used nearby. Wirelessly and without any physical contact to detect the device’s frequency. MIT claims the device wirelessly relayed differences in the participants’ skin-surface gallium nitride surface acoustic waves connected to their heart rates.

Then, the scientists combined the sodium-targeting ‘e-skin with an ion-sensing membrane (a substance that preferentially attracts a specific ion). This improvement allowed the ‘e-skin’ to detect and communicate changes in sodium levels as test subjects started to perspire in response to artificial stimuli.

According to co-author and MIT postdoc Jun Min Suh, we demonstrated sodium sense. However, any desired biomarker, such as glucose or cortisol linked to stress levels, might be discovered by altering the detecting membrane. It’s a rather adaptable platform, in my opinion.

Making better sense of health data from our fitness trackers

The most significant changes will likely be made to health data shortly, making it more relevant and individualized. With various scoring systems, some of which require a monthly membership, Oura, Whoop, and Fitbit are already impacting the market.

For instance, Oura and Fitbit both provide readiness rankings to help users choose whether to engage in strenuous exercise or take a day off. These figures are based on indicators like sleep, activity, and other body signals and measurements like resting heart rate variability. Similar recovery scores from Whoop can determine whether a user’s body is prepared for demanding exercise.

According to Chris Becherer, chief product officer at Oura, the readiness score reflects the company’s overall approach to health monitoring, which is that gadgets should deliver meaning in addition to statistics and data points. Oura will continue to take this stance with future tools, like the period prediction tool it debuted in October, and will only grow into new categories of health tracking if it can deliver similarly valuable information, he added. 

Another opportunity that Fitbit sees as offering more personalization and specificity to health indicators is investigating the relationship between mental and physical well-being. With its EDA app, accessible on the Fitbit Sense and Charge 5, Fitbit is already tapping into the mental wellness space. This software examines variations in perspiration to determine how the body may react to stress. In addition to providing readings, Fitbit allows users to track their mood to see how they feel at the time of the measurement. By examining that kind of data over time, Fitbit may gain a deeper understanding of the implications of physical changes on a person’s overall wellness.

Future Fitbit features may also be based on the capacity to measure additional bodily signals, such as electrodermal activity (sweat readings from the EDA app). Fitbit’s vice president of research and co-founder, Eric Friedman, uses the device’s sleep phases feature as an illustration. The measures that came before it, such as heart rate and motion sensors, made it possible for that function, which informs the user how much time was spent in light, sleep, or REM sleep.

Monitoring blood sugar levels may be the next big development in keeping track of one’s health.

Uncertainty surrounds what that “next thing” will be. However, statistics and professional estimates indicate that blood sugar monitoring in wearables is a growing industry.

That does not imply that people with diabetes can compute their insulin dosages based on readings from a smartwatch. Valencell’s president and co-founder, Dr. Steven LeBoeuf, a firm that develops health sensors for wearable electronics, predicts that more intrusive, skin-breaking devices will be necessary for the foreseeable future.

Instead, a glucose-monitoring smartwatch of the future might be able to observe more broadly if the wearer is experiencing low, normal, or high blood sugar. That might make users more aware of how changes to their diet or exercise routine affect their blood sugar levels and whether they should use a glucose meter.

Wearables may be able to provide customized nutrition advice with the use of glucose monitoring features like those discussed above. It is significant since current recommendations frequently lack personalization because they are based on comprehensive demographic research.

It is unclear if it will apply to fitness bands or traditional smartwatches. According to articles in Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal, Apple has reportedly been working to integrate blood sugar monitoring into the Apple Watch. However, both accounts imply that the technology is still in its infancy.

Senior director analyst at Gartner Roberta Cozza believes more work is needed. She feels that accuracy and medical certifications remain difficult, even though research is being done in this area. The distinction between medical and wellness gadgets is already becoming hazy, thanks to smartwatches and fitness trackers. Tech companies must know how users interpret this information as they add more complex metrics, including glucose levels.

Filing in the gaps between doctors visits

Regarding advancements in the wearables industry, the medical and IT communities appear to have a shared objective: assisting individuals in better care of themselves in between medical visits.

Recently released wearable devices include new features and capabilities that draw some of their inspiration from this. For instance, the Halo health app from Amazon has a feature that calculates your body fat percentage using photographs captured by a smartphone’s camera and processed using machine learning and computer vision. Regarding privacy concerns, the functionality has generated some debate.

Commercial wearables are developing more sophisticated health monitoring features, and medical device manufacturers are working on expanding their markets.

Long-term, wearable technology has the potential to aid in the early detection of disease, which excites some scientists. Such a capacity is still in development. Nevertheless, Dr. Paul Friedman, a cardiologist and Mayo Clinic’s AI in Cardiology Work Group member, is upbeat about developing the developing market. Several years ago, according to Dr. Friedman, most doctors wouldn’t have trusted the information from health trackers to guide medical treatments. But things are altering.

Return to Report Contents ▲