Wearables and activity trackers are growing increasingly popular as these devices are easier to use, more comfortable, and can provide important feedback to the wearer on how their daily life is impacting their overall health. However, one of the biggest issues that could prevent these wearables from being used as much as they could be is that the light sensor technology struggles to sense when the wearer’s hand, wrist, or finger are covered by clothing or if there skin complexion is a bit dark. A new solution that scientists have developed may help solve this problem and more in the future.
Why are we wearing more fitness trackers than ever?
As wearable tech becomes more popular, one of its limitations is coming to light. It’s often hard for fitness trackers to accurately track fitness activity in people. The devices also struggle to measure fitness levels of people who are obese, which could be a problem as wearable technology adoption grows. Scientists believe they have a solution that could allow fitness devices to measure heart rate more accurately than ever. However, experts say it will take time before consumers see those new features in their devices.
Why does this matter?
Well, first of all, if you don’t think obesity is a health problem, maybe you just haven’t thought about it that way. Second, wearable tech could be a particularly good solution for people who can’t make it to gyms or are too busy to devote time to fitness. A wearable tracking device might fit perfectly into their lifestyle—or at least help point them in a better direction. But most importantly, light sensors aren’t working as well as they could because tech designers don’t really understand how complex human skin really is.
What could have been done better by researchers and app developers?
While wearables are a hot new trend, they’re not perfect yet. Specifically, it seems that light sensors (the devices used to gather biometric data) are struggling when it comes to complexion and obesity. The sensors appear to be much less accurate when measuring blood oxygenation for black people compared to white individuals; additionally, for some obese users, their BMI doesn’t register correctly at all. Technology should be there to improve our lives – not further stigmatize already-marginalized groups of people. If researchers can work out these kinks, smart devices could become truly wearable technology!
Science behind light-based fitness trackers
According to some researchers, fitness trackers are failing users. That’s because wearable technology doesn’t take into account a user’s body composition or skin tone. Light sensors look at blood flow underneath your skin, but issues can arise in people with dark skin tones who have low subcutaneous oxygen content. These problems are compounded by existing obesity issues; it has been shown that fat tissue stops some light from penetrating under your skin, meaning many devices will actually overestimate calories burned by people who are overweight.
