What’s New in Wearable Fitness Technology?
Sweat sensors may provide valuable health information.
Wearable fitness technology continues to set a pace for the industry with sweat sensors, which may soon be part of the wearable fitness technology arsenal that provides individualized data. Simon Fraser University researchers in British Columbia are creating a low-cost, 3D-printed wearable sweat sensor that will include electrochemical sensors and wireless communication functionality. As a backdrop to their research, investigators published a review of sweat sensors in Bio-Design and Manufacturing (2021; 5, 64–84).
“The chemical composition and physical information derived from sweat are of great value in terms of how it reflects human health status,” said study author Woo Soo Kim, PhD, associate professor, School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering. “Direct sweat collection from skin surface is an easy-to-perform, straightforward method that avoids privacy concerns in physical implementation. These features mean that sweat has the potential to become a widely accessible sample type that can be monitored in a non-invasive manner.”
See also: New Wearables Can Measure Body Chemistry
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA, is an internationally acknowledged integrative health and mindfulness specialist, best-selling author of 16 fitness and wellness books translated into multiple languages and sold worldwide, award-winning health journalist, contributing editor to Fitness Journal, media spokesperson, and IDEA's 2008 Fitness Instructor of the Year. She's a 25-year industry veteran and former health and fitness educator at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, who has served on multiple industry committees and co-authored trade books and manuals for ACE, ACSM and YMCA of the USA. She has appeared on TV worldwide and was a featured trainer on America's Next Top Model.
