Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Oct 15;8(4):425-430.
doi: 10.70252/RPST8598. eCollection 2015.

Using Hexoskin Wearable Technology to Obtain Body Metrics During Trail Hiking

Jeff Montes  1 , Tori M Stone  1 , Jacob W Manning  2 , Damon McCune  1 , Debra K Tacad  1 , John C Young  1 , Mark Debeliso  2 , James W Navalta  1
Affiliations

Using Hexoskin Wearable Technology to Obtain Body Metrics During Trail Hiking

Jeff Montes et al. Int J Exerc Sci. .

Abstract

Use of wearable technology to obtain various body metrics appears to be a trending phenomenon. However there is very little literature supporting the notion that these apparatuses can be used for research purposes in the field. The purpose of this study was to utilize Hexoskin wearable technology shirts (HxS) to obtain data in a pilot study using a trail hiking situation. Ten individuals (male, n = 4, female n = 6) volunteered to participate. On the first day, volunteers completed two approximately flat trail hikes at a self-preferred pace with a 15-minute rest between trials. On the second day, participants completed a strenuous uphill hike (17.6% grade) with a 15-minute rest at the summit and then completed the downhill portion. Body metrics provided by the HxS were average heart rate (HR), maximal HR (MHR), total energy expenditure (EE), average respiratory rate (RR), maximal respiratory rate (MRR), total steps (SC), and cadence (CA). Other measurements obtained were systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP), and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE). Data were analyzed using both one-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) with significance accepted at p≤0.05 and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for each variable. Both were determined using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software (SPSS). No significant differences for trail type were noted for MHR (p=0.38), RR (p=0.45) or MRR (p=0.31). The uphill trail elicited significantly elevated HR (up=154±24 bpm, easy=118±11 bpm, down=129±19 bpm; p=0.04) and EE (up=251±78 kcal, easy=124±38 kcal, down=171±52 kcal; p=0.02). Significant ICC were observed for DBP (r = 0.80, p = 0.02), RR (r = 0.98, p = 0.01), SC (r = 0.97, p = 0.01) and RPE (r = 0.94, p = 0.01). Non-significant correlation were noted for uphill RR vs CA (r=0.51, p=0.16) or RPE vs SBP (r=0.03, p=0.94), HR (r=0.60, p=0.12), and MHR (r=0.70, p=0.051). We utilized HxS to provide physiological data in an applied setting. It should be noted that HR did not register in 5 out of 10 subjects on the easy trail, and 8 of 10 participants during the uphill hike. Additionally, estimated EE appears to be linked to HR intensity. Future investigations taken in an outdoor environment should take these findings into consideration.

Keywords: Attire; devices; outdoor activity; trek.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Average heart rate obtained using the Hexoskin shirt on different trail types. * Significantly different from easy-rated and downhill conditions, P<0.05.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Estimated energy expenditure obtained using the Hexoskin shirt on different trail types. * Significantly different from easy-rated and downhill conditions, P<0.05.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Total step count obtained using the Hexoskin wearable technology on various trails. *Significantly different from the easy-rated trail, P<0.05.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Cadence obtained using the Hexoskin wearable technology on various trails. * Significantly different from the strenuous uphill trail, P<0.05.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Borg GA. Psychophysical bases of perceived exertion. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1982;14(5):377–381. - PubMed
    1. Manning JW, Montes J, Stone TM, Rietjens RW, Young JC, DeBeliso M, Navalta JW. Cardiovascular and perceived exertion responses to leisure trail hiking. J Outdoor Rec Ed Leadership. 2015;7(2):83–92.
    1. Papi E, Osei-Kuffour D, Chen YM, McGregor AH. Use of wearable technology for performance assessment: a validation study. Medical Engineer Physics. 2015;37(7):698–704. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Villar R, Beltrame T, Hughson RL. Validation of the Hexoskin wearable vest during lying, sitting, standing and walking activities. Appl Physiol Nutr Metabol In Press. 2015 - PubMed
    1. Yang CC, Hsu YL. A review of accelerometry-based wearable motion detectors for physical activity monitoring. Sensors. 2010;10(8):7772–7788. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources