ANT+ and Moxy set new standards in Wearable Tech
ANT+ and Moxy set new standards in Wearable Tech
As the next big opportunity in tech, wearable devices are quickly progressing in function and practicality and ANT+ is definitely helping to blaze the trail. Known for setting the standards in wireless technology for sport, fitness and health, ANT+ has teamed up with ANT+ member Moxy to enable yet another unique wearable device that delivers reliable, relevant information. With a focus on sport training, the new MOXY muscle oxygen (MO2) monitor brings a new level of data to the market and opens up another realm of key possibilities for athletes.
Going beyond the typical measurements of heart rate, oxygen is recognized as a critical metric in determining how muscle cells produce energy and thus, perform. Research has proven that measuring the oxygen levels in muscles while exercising provides valuable indicators and assessments that lead to better results in less time. Using near infrared spectroscopy, the small, wireless MOXY sensor allows trainers and coaches to see what is actually happening inside the muscle real-time. This accurate detail is used to precisely evaluate the athlete’s condition and guide activity accordingly.
In the past, this level of data could only be inferred by looking at VO2 captured from the athlete’s breath or from blood lactate concentrations. Both of these measurements are cumbersome to do on an exercising athlete, as they require a mask with hoses or a series of blood draws. The physiologic response times from those indicators were obviously delayed and impacted performance response times by several minutes.
Moxy changes all of this. By delivering a completely non-invasive and portable device, Moxy reads the muscle oxygen levels in real-time and instantly displays the data on a wristwatch or a computer for immediate analysis. With Moxy, athletes can be tested while performing their sport in their real environment – eg. hockey players are tested on ice, basketball players on the court , and swimmers in the water. As simple and seamless as a heart rate monitor or power meter, muscle oxygen monitors can also be used on a regular basis to provide real time training intensity feedback.
But let’s go back to why muscle oxygen information is important. The lack of oxygen to the muscle cells is ultimately what limits an athlete's performance. Many factors can contribute to the restrictions such as cardiac, respiratory and metaboreflex issues, and being able to see the muscle oxygen levels can help trainers identify the sources of their limitations. Muscle oxygen monitoring provides a more effective method for athletes to monitor their training intensity zones. The difference with MOXY is that it goes inside the muscle to obtain muscle oxygen information which can then account for external variables like the athlete's recovery level and the effects of ambient temperature.
Because Moxy uses the widely-adopted ANT+ wireless protocol, it works with a wide variety of ANT+ bike computers, watches, and smart phones. One such successful use case incorporates Moxy with Peripedal software, both enabled with the newly-released ANT+ Muscle Oxygen profile. Peripedal can have up to 8 users at a time with each user having a Muscle Oxygen Monitor, Heart Rate Monitor, Speed and Cadence Sensor, and a Power Meter all through one ANT+ dongle. The dongle is used to capture live data from all of the sensors, eg. Eight users times four sensor types results in 32 simultaneous signals.
“All in all, this really is a terrific feat in the world of wireless technology,” states Roger Schmitz, Chief Engineer, Fortiori Design. “We chose ANT+ for three primary reasons. First, it is a widely used open protocol in the fitness industry. Athletes are familiar with the technology and there is lots of supporting hardware and software that already uses it. Second is that it is a well defined standard. This made development very predictable and ensured wide interoperability. We've already had several customers tell us they've used our Moxy device with hardware that we've never tested. No problems. It just works because it’s ANT+. Third is the hardware. The Nordic nRF51422 was the perfect fit for our application. We needed an affordable processor that could run our complex algorithm and the 422 fit the bill perfectly. The integrated ANT+ radio made programming very straight forward.”
Moxy was a key, contributing partner in the ANT+ Muscle Oxygen Device Profile. After pitching the concept to the ANT+ team, a working group was formed, and the needs for MOXY were matched to the very optimal use of ANT+ functionality.
“The process was very, very good,” added Schmitz. “ANT+ offered excellent suggestions on how to optimize technology and structure the profile that we would not have thought of ourselves. Ultimately, the consumer will have the very best possible product.”
Learn more at:
www.moxymonitor.com for product information
forum.moxymonitor.com for discussion on how Moxy is used in training.
