… The first Apple Heart Study was launched today in the US, and every Apple Watch owner over the age of 22 can — and should — enroll as soon as possible. All Watch models are supported, including Series 1 models. This is hardly the first health study Apple initiated in recent years, but it’s definitely one of the most ambitious ones.
What the Apple Heart Study app does is use the Watch’s heart sensor to detect irregular heart rhythms, and then notify users who are experiencing atrial fibrillation (AFib).
AliveCor, the digital health company led by ex-Googler Vic Gundotra, says the Food and Drug Administration has approved its EKG band accessory for the Apple Watch. Gundotra says the Kardia Band, as the product is called, is the first Apple Watch health accessory to get FDA clearance.
Kardia Band attaches to the Apple Watch like any other replaceable watch band. The user rests a finger on the sensor pad embedded in the band, allowing an EKG reading to be taken.
Hiking and rambling have become increasingly popular in recent years. In the U.S., as of 2016, there are over 42 million hikers, up from 29 million in 2006. This increased interest in the activity isn’t confined to the U.S. however, with 26 percent of Britons saying they’ve taken a hiking trip, at some stage, in the country.
ViewRanger is a free smartphone app that is seeking to appeal to this ever-growing audience of hikers. The newest version of the app, which is paired with the Apple Watch Series 3, is able to pinpoint your exact location, while highlighting 10 hiking routes that you can choose to take, from this initial location. These maps can also be downloaded offline too, if a user will be visiting an area with poor internet reception.
… The 645 is super exciting. However my worry is that it looks a bit too much like the Vivoactive 3. And maybe it is a bit too much like the Vivoactive 3. If so this could be a Houston moment…I hope not.
Headphones for running have come a long way in a short time. Thanks to improvements in Bluetooth connectivity and battery technology, runners can find a range of headphones and earbuds to suit their running and listening needs. We tested several headphones for runners, and here are some of the best.
Over the past year we’ve seen a number of companies make smartphones without headphone jacks, like Apple and Google. At the same time, both of those companies released AirPods and Google Pixel Buds. So it’s no surprise that a new report from Juniper Research says the lack of headphone jacks is going to help the hearable category grow.
Specifically, it’s going to grow sevenfold, going from 43 million devices in-use during 2017 to 285 million devices in-use by 2022, if Juniper’s predictions are to go by. That’s a massive, massive increase, and it’s down to several factors urged on by the lack of headphone jacks.
YouTube, ECSS .tv, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg from
Wearable computing systems play an increasingly important role in recreational and elite sports. They comprise of two parts. First, sensors for physiological (ECG, EMG, …) and biomechanical (accelerometer, gyroscope, …) data recording are embedded into clothes and equipment. Second, embedded microprocessors (e.g. in smartphones) are used for monitoring and analysis of the recorded data. Together, these systems can provide real-time information and feedback for scientific studies in real sports situations. Data mining concepts provide tools for analyzing the considerable amount of physiological and biomechanical data that is generated in sports science studies. Especially when using wearable computing systems, the number of participants and variety of measured data is unlimited in general. Traditional statistical analysis methods commonly cannot handle this amount of data easily. Thus, the analysis is often restricted to individual variables rather than multidimensional dependencies and a considerable amount of information is neglected.
Discovery Magazine, D-brief, Nathaniel Scharping from
If you’ve ever spent any time at a hospital, you know what it’s like to be under constant supervision. Sensors and monitors keep track of your most basic bodily functions day and night, giving doctors and nurses to-the-second information on how you’re doing. All that supervision comes with wires and sensors taped and stuck all over a patient’s body, though, which is annoying and can throw off some readings.
Now, two Cornell University researchers say they’ve devised a way to monitor vital signs that doesn’t require skin contact. Their technique relies on small radio frequency identification (RFID) sensors, the same technology that’s in key fobs, that can pick up heartbeats, chest movements and even blood pressures, and can keep track of multiple patients at once. The technology could be useful in hospitals where round-the-clock supervision is key.
If Ethan Agarwal gets his way, joggers will go for runs with virtual help that sounds straight out of a sci-fi movie. “Because we know about you, we know how fast you run,” says Agarwal, the CEO of Aaptiv, a fitness-tracking app. To illustrate the point, he imagines a user approaching a hill on one of Aaptiv’s programmed runs. Thirty yards out, the trainer guiding the runner on her workout warns of the upcoming incline. “Last time you did this slope, you did it at a 10 minute mile pace,” the voice says as the beat of accompanying music slows. “Can we do better?”
What makes Agarwal’s scenario so challenging: there’d be no live trainer on the other end – not even a pre-taped script. Instead, the startup founder wants to personalize digital fitness classes using data – and the power of an algorithm. Splice together pre-recorded bits fast and smoothly enough, Agarwal believes, and the user shouldn’t be able to tell any difference. To an Aaptiv user on a jog, it’ll seem like the startup has a virtual trainer hovering right there. Nothing remotely like it exists in the market today, the entrepreneur says. He wants Aaptiv to offer it by late 2018. “Doing this right will be really, really hard,” he says. “But we’re working on it now. It’ll come sooner than you think.”
MedCity News, John Torous, MD and Jessica Lipschitz, PhD from
… what exactly drives uptake of health apps? There are many answers to this question, but here we propose a few.
Health apps must be interesting and easy to use
This one seems unbearably obvious, but as a field we have a long way to progress on this front. Most health apps today continue to work primarily through offering triggered messages and/or patient education. They do not capitalize on the opportunity to be more interactive or individualized. A 2015 study found a leading reason consumers stopped using a health app was loss of interest. This clearly does not bode well for wide-scale implementation.
A report by Forrester, a leading market research company, estimates that 20% of Americans now own wearable devices, and many of these are used for fitness tracking. By 2020, the global market for fitness-focused apps and other devices is expected to grow to $30 billion. Manufacturers and developers promise monitoring of everything from sleep to heart rate variability, and even personalized coaching that can improve your exercise technique. But before you get swept away by the hype and start thinking that your choice of fitness technology is a magic bullet that can improve every aspect of your performance, recovery, and life, let’s take a look at three of the biggest problems it poses. Then we’ll move on to some suggestions that help you use these devices more effectively.
Brooks Running Company announced it is partnering with HP Inc. and Superfeet to deliver the most personalized running footwear. Leveraging FitStation powered by HP and Brooks Run Signature, Brooks will introduce the first performance running shoe created based on an individual’s unique biomechanics which will be available via special order through select retail partners beginning June 2018.
Over the past five winters, we’ve tested 47 pairs of touchscreen gloves while moving half a ton of stumps, climbing on ice, and just walking and biking around town. For the second year in a row, Moshi’s Digits are our favorite touchscreen gloves for most people, offering the right combination of warmth, dexterity, and grip. They aren’t the absolute warmest touchscreen gloves you can buy, but they’re warmer than anything that’s better for using on touchscreens, and better for using on touchscreens than anything that’s warmer.
Winter is typically regarded as the “off season” in cycling circles. As darkness, cold, snow, and slush descend on much of the Northern Hemisphere, many cyclists go into hibernation and only emerge for the occasional spin class. But not all. For some, “off season” is the season to grab their bike and head outdoors.
We asked a few dozen of these hardy penguin pedalers what draws them out into the elements, and how they keep themselves stoked—literally, so they’re not shivering and freezing to death—to ride all winter long. Here’s how and why they do it.
Optimal tuning of leg stiffness has been associated with better running economy. Running with a load is energetically expensive, which could have a significant impact on athletic performance where backpack carriage is involved. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of load magnitude and velocity on leg stiffness. We also explored the relationship between leg stiffness and running joint work. Thirty-one healthy participants ran overground at 3 velocities (3.0, 4.0, 5.0 m·s−1), whilst carrying 3 load magnitudes (0%, 10%, 20% weight). Leg stiffness was derived using the direct kinetic-kinematic method. Joint work data was previously reported in a separate study. Linear models were used to establish relationships between leg stiffness and load magnitude, velocity, and joint work. Our results found that leg stiffness did not increase with load magnitude. Increased leg stiffness was associated with reduced total joint work at 3.0 m·s−1, but not at faster velocities. The association between leg stiffness and joint work at slower velocities could be due to an optimal covariation between skeletal and muscular components of leg stiffness, and limb attack angle. When running at a relatively comfortable velocity, greater leg stiffness may reflect a more energy efficient running pattern.