An Experimental Feasibility Study Evaluating the Adequacy of a Sportswear-Type Wearable for Recording Exercise Intensity

Sportswear-type wearables with integrated inertial sensors and electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes have been commercially developed. We evaluated the feasibility of using a sportswear-type wearable with integrated inertial sensors and electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes for evaluating exercise intensity within a controlled laboratory setting. Six male college athletes were asked to wear a sportswear-type wearable while performing a treadmill test that reached up to 20 km/h. The magnitude of the filtered tri-axial acceleration signal, recorded by the inertial sensor, was used to calculate the acceleration index. The R-R intervals of the ECG were used to determine heart rate; the external validity of the heart rate was then evaluated according to oxygen uptake, which is the gold standard for physiological exercise intensity. Single regression analysis between treadmill speed and the acceleration index in each participant showed that the slope of the regression line was significantly greater than zero with a high coefficient of determination (walking, 0.95; jogging, 0.96; running, 0.90). Another single regression analysis between heart rate and oxygen uptake showed that the slope of the regression line was significantly greater than zero, with a high coefficient of determination (0.96). Together, these results indicate that the sportswear-type wearable evaluated in this study is a feasible technology for evaluating physical and physiological exercise intensity across a wide range of physical activities and sport performances.