How Effective Are Fitness Trackers and How Has the Advent of AI Influenced the Fitness Industry?

Technology is changing the way people approach fitness. The tech-driven fitness industry is growing every year, and fitness trackers are driving the growth. Millions of people worldwide use trackers that double as timekeepers. From tech giants like Apple, Google, and Samsung to startups, all have a presence in the wearable market. While initial activity trackers did only what their name suggested, they evolved with the advent of smartwatches.

These watches track various metrics like footsteps, heart rate, stress, calories burnt, etc. They also connect to an app on a user’s smartphone to provide even more detailed metrics. Smartwatches also integrate with smartphones and allow users to receive and decline calls, see notifications, and more. Companies have increasingly depended on AI to achieve this level of integration across devices. So, how effective is your smartwatch, and how is AI revolutionizing this growing fitness industry?

Do fitness trackers work?

Smartwatches have been around for a while. The Apple Watch is currently in its 9th generation. Meanwhile, basic fitness trackers have been around even longer. The prospect of having all the information you need to analyze various stats and data about your health has turned out to be game-changing. Wearable fitness trackers have even gotten people into activities like running

While Apple has come under fire for patent infringement for their watches, these devices take the fitness tracker one step further by allowing users to measure their blood oxygen. Wearables from Google, Garmin, Samsung, and others also provide mostly accurate tracking. From footsteps, calories burned, distance ran/walked to live heart rate during workouts, and much more, these watches provide information within an acceptable margin of error.

However, there are several brands across the globe that provide trackers at a fraction of the price of an Apple or Google watch. This affordability has allowed countless people to buy a smartwatch. Despite being cheaper, the wearables provide functionalities like heart rate and SPO2 monitoring. However, there is a huge debate around the accuracy of the readings.

Cheaper brands often provide wildly different fitness tracking data for the same individual. Hence, while research has found that wearables are effective, not all trackers are built equal. People have noticed that cheap watches seem to provide slightly boosted data. This could be the result of the quality of sensors used in the wearable and the AI putting it all together. However, the readings are getting better.

The AI revolution in fitness

As technology improves, artificial intelligence permeates all our devices, including smartwatches. In 2024, smartphone companies will focus on integrating dedicated AI inside their operating systems. Samsung has already announced that Galaxy AI will debut with the S24 series. After GPU manufacturers like Nvidia, smartphone processor manufacturers like Apple, Snapdragon, and MediaTek are including dedicated AI cores in their processors. Hence, smartwatches from brands like Samsung will leverage AI integration.

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While app-specific AI already helps collect and calculate the data your fitness trackers display, deeper integration could provide further benefits. A dedicated AI for tracking fitness data leads to improved accuracy. However, helping smartwatches evolve isn’t the only way AI is revolutionizing the fitness industry.

AI is helping wearable exclusive features become more universal. One such feature is human pose estimation. Until recently, movement tracking was possible only with wearables. However, AI is enabling computer vision to track movements accurately. Hence, AI-based human pose estimation without wearables has become a reality. Artificial intelligence is also helping fitness apps achieve better personalization.

Breaking the generic data loop

Not all fitness apps depend on smartwatches. An app like MyFitnessPal helps users keep track of their calorie intake in great detail. With improvements in AI, the level of accuracy and detail will increase. As an individual continues to provide data, the AI compiles a model and provides data and suggestions tailored to the individual.

For the longest time, companies have employed various techniques and technologies to make everything tailored for an individual using their device. AI has shown immense promise in forwarding the aspect of personalized results. On-device AIs will learn how a user uses their device and provide unprecedented levels of personalization. The same is true for fitness apps.

Virtual AI fitness trainers are changing how people use apps that sell fitness, bodybuilding, and weight loss programs. Hence, there’s no denying the impact AI continues to have in the fitness industry. From increasing the accuracy of fitness trackers to helping people lose weight, AI has already revolutionized the industry. As companies integrate AI into their devices at a hardware and software level, the technology will continue to drive the needs of the ever-growing fitness industry.

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