… If you’re familiar with other Garmin watches, you’ll note that most of these align to existing watches Garmin makes. For example the MARQ Athlete follows in the footsteps of the Garmin Fenix 5 Plus series of watches. Whereas the Captain follows from the Quatix, and the Aviator from the D2 series.
But the Expedition and Driver editions are actually new ventures for Garmin, and include (in the case of the Expedition), some unique features that could very well be applicable to many fitness folks. Fear not, I’ll dive into all of them.
… The study recruited 419,297 people who had an Apple Watch. It tested technology in the watch that uses an optical sensor to detect the wearer’s pulse. Of the cohort, 0.5 percent — or 2,161 people — were notified that they might have atrial fibrillation, a relatively common arrhythmia that can lead to feelings of weakness and increases the risk of stroke and other conditions.
“The important thing here is that only 0.5 percent of people were getting notified,” said Dr. Marco Perez, an associate professor at Stanford University and one of the lead investigators of the study. “If you look at the young people, it was 0.16 percent. The notification rates are really low. These are needles in a haystack.”
Results have recently been published from a study of collegiate athletes at the University of Connecticut’s Korey Stringer Institute.
The study examined resting heart rate (RHR), heart rate variability (HRV) and percentage of time in slow-wave sleep (SWS) in female cross-country runners over the course of an entire season, looking at the changes in each metric and the relationships between them.
To collect the data, the participating athletes wore WHOOP 24/7.
Annual Review of Analytical Chemistry journal from
Sweat is a largely unexplored biofluid that contains many important biomarkers ranging from electrolytes and metabolites to proteins, cytokines, antigens, and exogenous drugs. The eccrine and apocrine glands produce and excrete sweat through microscale pores on the epidermal surface, offering a noninvasive means for capturing and probing biomarkers, which reflect hydration state, fatigue, nutrition, and physiological changes. Skin-interfaced wearable sensors capable of real-time in situ sweat collection and analytics provide capabilities for continuous biochemical monitoring in an ambulatory mode of operation. This review presents a broad overview of sweat-based biochemical sensor technologies with an emphasis on enabling materials, designs, and target analytes of interest. The article concludes with a summary of challenges and opportunities for researchers and clinicians in this swiftly growing field.
The internet is abuzz today with worries about the latest tech-fad-turned-health-hazard, with headlines warning that wireless headphones—like Apple’s trendy AirPods—are a potential source of cancer. And yes, articles claiming that the little white devices could “pump radiation into your brain”this link opens in a new tab certainly caught our attention. But before we freak out too much, let’s look at all the facts.
Those headlines you may be seeing today seem to stem from a Medium article published last week, which posed the question, “Are AirPods and Other Bluetooth Headphones Safe?”this link opens in a new tab The article quotes Jerry Phillips, PhD, a professor of biochemistry at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, who says he’s concerned about AirPods because “their placement in the ear canal exposes tissues in the head to relatively high levels of radio-frequency radiation.”
Running biomechanics research has traditionally occurred in the laboratory, but with the advent of wearable sensors measurement of running biomechanics may shift outside the laboratory. The purpose was to determine if RunScribe™ wearable sensors could detect differences in kinematic, kinetic and spatiotemporal measures during runs at two speeds and on two different surfaces. Fifteen recreational runners (7 males, 8 females; age = 20.0 ± 3.1 years) participated. While wearing sensors on the heels of their shoes, participants completed four 1600 m runs on both track and grass surfaces. On each surface, the first 1600 m was at a self-selected slow speed followed by the second 1600 m at a self-selected fast pace. The sensors quantified several kinetic, kinematic and spatiotemporal measures. Repeated measures ANOVAs compared the effects of surface and speed. The spatiotemporal measures of stride length, cycle time and contact time were predictably affected by increased running speed and increased surface stiffness, as were the kinematic and kinetic measurements of maximum pronation velocity, maximum pronation excursion, impact g, and braking g (p < 0.050). The RunScribe™ sensors identified expected changes in running biomechanics measures at different speeds and on varying surfaces.
As wearable devices and medical implants become more common, their likelihood of being targeted by hackers increases, with stakes that could be even higher than traditional computer viruses. But researchers at Purdue University have developed a way to improve both the security and longevity of these devices: a switch from conventional electromagnetic wireless signals to lower-frequency electro-quasistatic signals.
Because software employing AI is now being used to diagnose illnesses and calculate risk factors for various conditions, the question of what it takes for patients—and physicians—to trust an algorithm regarding matters of sickness and health is a real one. And it is transparency, research suggests, that is the key to understanding, acceptance, and belief. Let people look inside the black box of the algorithm, the thinking goes, and their mistrust, hostility, and fear will gradually melt away.
That argument sounds logical enough. But is it true? Is transparency the major factor in fostering trust in algorithms? As with so much in this area, the answer is interesting … and complicated.
Hammerhead, now without its original product, launched the Karoo cycling computer last year. The Karoo – named for a South African desert, and available in the U.S. and Europe from the company website – is a navigation device and training aid, featuring a high-resolution, anti-glare touchscreen and many connectivity options for uploading maps and routes. It mounts to bicycle handlebars via a twist-on clamp.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge successfully developed a fully printed transistor technology with high gain, low power, low noise, and mechanical bendability that unlocks new possibilities in wearable and implantable technology. The printed transistor readily lends itself to analog sensor interfaces in wearables for electrophysiological signal monitoring at ultralow power and high-resolution.
Wearable and implantable electronics have enabled electronic devices that can monitor humans in real time for continuous healthcare management. Although a number of products have been successful in the market, several fundamental requirements still need to be fulfilled to maximize the potential of this technology. These include increasing the comfort of the wearable device on the skin and the ability to acquire as much human physiological information as possible.
Researchers in the University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering have developed a unique new device using the wonder material graphene that provides the first step toward ultrasensitive biosensors to detect diseases at the molecular level with near perfect efficiency.
Ultrasensitive biosensors for probing protein structures could greatly improve the depth of diagnosis for a wide variety of diseases extending to both humans and animals. These include Alzheimer’s disease, Chronic Wasting Disease, and mad cow disease—disorders related to protein misfolding. Such biosensors could also lead to improved technologies for developing new pharmaceutical compounds.
On the list of endangered retail species, the local running store is right up there with the independent bookshop. We want it to exist, but the internet has made it too easy to buy whatever we want, whenever we want, at the price we want instead.
One of the last great names in running shops has survived, however, thanks to a bit of high-tech jiujitsu. Fleet Feet, which first opened in 1976 in Sacramento, began adding 3D scanners at its 177 franchise locations in 2017, using runners’ love of data to entice them into its stores and then keep them there long enough to buy something. “People who run enjoy going to a store, because it acts as a bit of a clubhouse,” says Huub Valkenburg, chief executive officer of Karhu, which three years ago cut a deal with Fleet Feet to become its exclusive in-house brand. “They want to connect with other runners.”
The foot-scanning strategy was originally implemented as a way to make it easier for salespeople to help a customer narrow down options more quickly. Measuring 12 data points, the scans give runners hard data on their own bodies that’ll help them find the right fit, whether it’s to accommodate an abnormally high arch or a propensity for extensor tendinitis on the top of the foot. Either way, the scanning process has been a hit, serving as an entertaining activity even for nonshoppers.
… “One hundred years from now we might look back and see that the moment of industrialization where we had to fit into preexisting sizes and styles was a blip in the history of shoemaking,” says Elizabeth Semmelhack, senior curator at the BATA Shoe Museum in Toronto. “Today we’re moving back to bespoke footwear.”
At the forefront is FitStation Powered by HP, a state-of-the-art technology that scans your foot, analyzes your gait and creates a digital, 3D model of your foot. That model is sent to a 3D printer, which creates a unique insole that can be worn with any shoe. FitStation is powered by HP 3D scanning technology and HP’s Multi Jet Fusion printing technology, a highly-accurate, streamlined and rapid method of 3D printing, along with other digital manufacturing techniques. This 3D scanning and printing technology allows for the creation of custom insoles in an efficient manner, ushering in a new era of shoe shopping.
Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology from
Just recently, the Mobile World Congress, the showcase for brand new electronics, came to an end in Barcelona and once again brought with it a wave of overwhelming innovations from the wearables sector. However, all new products require one thing – a powerful and reliable power supply. The recently launched Smart2Go project, funded by the EU as part of the Horizon 2020 programme, focuses precisely on this challenge – the development of an autonomous energy supply platform. At the Wearable Europe Show 2019 the Fraunhofer FEP as project coordinator will present the project and its competencies and objectives at booth no. P12, 10 – 11 April 2019 in Berlin, Germany.
A new coating developed by ETH researchers prevents fogging on transparent surfaces. Rather than using electricity, the coating relies on sunlight to heat the surface.
… “Our work presents an important step toward the practical realization of self-powered, human-integrated technologies,” Wu said.
The Purdue team invented a liquid-metal-inclusion based triboelectric nanogenerator, called LMI-TENG. Triboelectric energy harvesting transducers – devices which help conserve mechanical energy and turn it into power – are predicted to be a $480 million market by 2028, according to IDTechEx.
The LMI-TENG can harvest and sense the biomechanical signals from the body and use those to help power and direct technological devices. The LMI-TENG consists of a layer of liquid metal embedded functional silicone sandwiched between two Ecoflex layers.
When you don’t get enough sleep, you can feel drained, sluggish and lazy. So, we sip our coffee, attempting to make it through the day, until it’s time to slip back into bed. But besides the fact that we feel terrible if we don’t get enough, researchers have struggled to figure out why humans and animals sleep.
A new study by scientists at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, though, may help us find out. While studying brain activity in live zebrafish, they found that DNA repaired itself much more quickly at night than during the day.
In today’s world, it might seem like people aren’t connected to nature at all, instead opting to spend their time with modern conveniences like the world wide web. But new research shows that across the globe, people are still paying attention to what’s outside their window — and we can tell by looking at patterns in their Wikipedia pageviews.
Scientists, led by conservation biologist-turned-data scientist John Mittermeier at the University of Oxford, looked at 2 billion pageviews for almost 32,000 plant and animal species across 245 languages. Their most striking finding, reported in a paper out today in PLoS Biology, was that a good chunk of these species showed seasonal patterns in their Wikipedia pageviews that matched their seasonal patterns in real life.
“For some species, people are paying enough attention to when a bird arrives on its breeding grounds, or when a particular plant flowers,” says Mittermeier. “The fact that people are really responding to that is cool.”
Comedian Miel Bredouw packed every single type of interaction you’re ever going to have with another human being on a hiking trail into a video less than 40 seconds long. As a semi-frequent Vermont hiker (including this recent winter hike), I can vouch for every single one of these. They’re all here: the friendly dog greeting, the sing-song “hello”, the running “excuse me”, and the classic “hey how ya doin?” My go-to is usually the panting “hey”.
Together with the growing popularity of mountain biking, the number of riders at risk for an acute injury has increased. A cross-sectional observational study was performed to describe the prevalence of acute injuries among elite and amateur riders and to determine predictive factors leading to a severe injury. A retrospective questionnaire was created comprising questions aiming on demographics, training volume, injury events and wearing of protective gear items. The survey was conducted during the Swiss Epic Mountain Bike Event in 2017. Complete data sets of male mountain bikers were used to determine prevalence. To evaluate injury related factors, only data sets reporting one or more injuries were included in the final analysis. Ninety-nine questionnaires were included to calculate the injury prevalence of 74% for elites and 69% for amateurs (p = 0.607). For the analysis of injury related factors 56 questionnaires were processed. Elites were significantly younger (p = 0.004) and had a significantly higher exposure time per year as amateurs (p < 0.001). The groups did not differ in number of injuries (p = 0.437) and number of severe injuries (p = 0.225). No predictive factors for a severe injury event were found. Both groups wore an equal amount of protective gear items (p = 0.846). A significant medium, respectively small correlation was found in both groups for mean hours of training per week and number of races per year (elites: r = 0.597, p = 0.023; amateurs: r = 0.428, p = 0.005). An equal prevalence of acute injuries was found in elite and amateur mountain bikers. Elites are at higher risk for an injury event due to their exposure time but do not suffer more or more severe injuries than amateurs.
Probably ever since bicycles were first invented, people have been looking for alternatives to the traditional approach of pedalling in circles. Los Angeles-based inventor Rodger Parker has utilized one such alternative in his NuBike, which he claims is more efficient than a chain-drive bike.
Along with its unique-looking carbon fiber frame, what really stands out on the NuBike are the levers that run from the pedals to a linkage on the rear hub. These allow riders to simply push up and down on the pedals, causing the rear wheel to turn. There are reportedly a number of advantages to this setup.
EurekAlert! Science News, The Physiological Society from
Exercise can shift the human body clock, with the direction and amount of this effect depending on the time of day or night in which people exercise. That’s according to new research in published in The Journal of Physiology. These findings suggest exercise could counter the effects of jet lag, shift work, and other disruptions to the body’s internal clock (e.g. military deployments) helping individuals adjust to shifted schedules.
Fast Company, Steven Melendez and Alex Pasternack from
It’s no secret that your personal data is routinely bought and sold by dozens, possibly hundreds, of companies. What’s less known is who those companies are, and what exactly they do.
Thanks to a new Vermont law requiring companies that buy and sell third-party personal data to register with the Secretary of State, we’ve been able to assemble a list of 121 data brokers operating in the U.S. It’s a rare, rough glimpse into a bustling economy that operates largely in the shadows, and often with few rules.
Even Vermont’s first-of-its-kind law, which went into effect last month, doesn’t require data brokers to disclose who’s in their databases, what data they collect, or who buys it. Nor does it require brokers to give consumers access to their own data or opt out of data collection. Brokers are, however required to provide some information about their opt-out systems under the law–assuming they provide one.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will not debut its “next generation” weather forecasting model in March, as planned.
Meanwhile, it has named Neil Jacobs as the acting head of the agency, replacing retired Rear Adm. Timothy Gallaudet, who will step back into a supporting role.
The two actions are unrelated but call new attention to key challenges facing the agency: its forecasting and its leadership.
No roads run through “Wayne Wonderland,” a red-rock maze of deep canyons, monoliths and stark buttes in south-central Utah’s Fishlake National Forest. The same holds for sections of the high alpine lakes, aspen and pine forests, and snowy peaks of the High Uintas mountains. This is thanks to the U.S. Forest Service’s two-decade old roadless rule, which bans construction and logging on nearly 60 million national forest acres across the country, including some of Utah’s most remote and rugged areas. Conservationists regard the roadless rule as a landmark piece of environmental policy, preserving what remains of the agency’s relatively undeveloped land.
But the state of Utah has always disliked the rule, and now it wants out.
It’s time we made America’s prime backcountry skiing and snowboarding terrain safer and more accessible. First step: bombing slopes in the way-out-of-bounds.
Washington State University, Washington State Magazine from
Secret weapons come in surprising shapes and sizes. For the National Park Service, it’s Washington State University’s Public Opinion Laboratory where, by simply asking questions, the agency wins battles over landfills, pipelines, diversity issues, and more.
Guided by director Lena Le, the laboratory employs more than 100 survey takers who make up the heart of the Social and Economic Sciences Research Center (SESRC). By phone, mail, and internet, the workers patiently collect data that adds up to very big impacts for a range of universities, businesses, and government agencies, including the National Park Service (NPS). Over the years, they’ve demonstrated that a well‑designed survey can be a powerful tool for change.