JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Regular physical activity offers extensive health benefits, yet current consumer wearables struggle to accurately quantify these effects using personalized data. Sensor performance often falls short due to susceptibility to interferences, non-standardized validation and reliance on indirect estimations. Further, sensors often cannot capture or account for inequalities between measurement types, populations, physiological, and anatomical characteristics, or the influence of different exercise modalities on an individualized scale. There is a drive for developers to refine the impact of how we measure exercise, improving the usefulness of data through novel optical modeling and spectroscopic applications. This review critically examines the shortcomings of prevailing non-invasive measurements and techniques used in common, commercially-available fitness trackers, and introduces an innovative approach to measuring the effects of exercise, exemplified by a device produced by NNOXX Inc. The platform introduces a deep optics application utilizing continuous wave near-infrared spectroscopy (CW-NIRS), employing multiple wavelengths and varied source-detector distances to interrogate deep into skeletal muscle with improved tissue specificity. The technique allows for continuous, real-time biomarker data collection and information delivery and offers an objective measure of exercise quality and physiological response. New sensing techniques such as this may not only unlock key hematological variables, allowing for an individualized understanding of a person’s response to exercise, but also bridge critical gaps in personalized health monitoring. The results could lead to a more effective understanding of exercise and its impact on performance management and clinical outcomes.