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Running Sensors

1,201 bytes added, 23:43, 13 July 2016
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There are a growing number of wearable devices that will analyze your biomechanics, mostly from small startup companies, though the bigger players are also contributing to the space. Many of these devices a making use of the cheap and accurate accelerometers that are now readily available, though there are some other approaches being used. My top picks are:* [[MilestonePod]] is amazingly cheap and provides a wealth of data. It's worth the cost just for its ability to track the miles you put on your shoe, but it adds in more data than most other systems that cost many times as much. * Garmin's [[Running Dynamics]] is worth having if you have one of the watches that support it, though I wouldn't buy one just for its support of Running Dynamics. * [[RunScribe]] is probably the most detailed information, but I consider it a 'running lab' rather than an everyday training tool.
{| class="wikitable"
! Device
! Location
! Realtime
! Watch
! Symmetry
! [[Cadence]]
! Pronation
! [[Foot Strike]]
! SmO<sub>2</sub>Other
|-
| [[MilestonePod]]| $25| Footpod| No| No| Yes| Yes| No| Foot| No| No| Yes| Leg Swing|-| [[Running Dynamics]] v1v2
| $100
| Chest
| Watch
| Yes
| Yes
| No
| Yes
| Yes
| No
| No
| No
|-
| [[Running Dynamics]] v2v1
| $100
| Chest
| YesWatch| Yes| YesNo
| Yes
| Yes
| No
| No
| No
|-
| [[RunScribe]]
| $200
| Footpod
| No
| No
| Yes
| Yes
| Yes
| No|-| [[MilestonePod]]| $25| Footpod| No| No| No| Yes| Yes| No| Foot| No| No| Yes| NoPronation
|-
| [[Sensoria]]
| $200
| Sock
| Yes| NoPhone
| Yes
| Yes
| No
| Yes
| No
|-
| TgForce
| $145
| Ankle
| Yes| NoPhone
| No
| Yes
| No
| No
| No
|-
| Lumo
| $80
| Waist
| Yes| NoPhone
| Yes
| Yes
| No
| No
| No
|-
| Stryd
| $200
| Chest
| Yes| YesWatch/Phone
| No?
| Yes
| No
| No
| No
|-
| Moov Now
| $60
| Ankle
| Yes| NoPhone
| No
| Yes
| No
| No
| NoLeg Swing
|-
| RUNTEQ Zoi
| 150 EUR
| Foot & Chest
| Yes| NoPhone
| No
| Yes
| Yes
| Yes
| No
|-
| RPM<sup>2</sup>
| $500
| Insole
| Phone/Watch
| Yes
| Yes
| Yes
| No
| ?
| No
| Yes
| Yes
|
|-
| Wahoo TICKR Run
| $80
| Chest
| Phone
| No
| ?
| No
| Yes
| Yes
| Yes
| No
| No
| No
| No
| 3D Smoothness
|-
| Moxy
| $770
| Calf
| Yes| YesPhone/Watch
| No
| No
| No
| No
| YesSmO<sub>2</sub>
|-
| [[BSX]]
| $300
| Calf
| Yes| YesPhone/Watch
| No
| No
| No
| No
| YesSmO<sub>2</sub>
|}
=Garmin's Running Dynamics=
|[[File:MilestonePod 6.png|none|thumb|200px|A sample of the graphs in the app.]]
|}
=Sensoria=
The [https://www.amazon.com/Sensoria-Fitness-Socks-and-Anklet/dp/B019RWCWCA Sensoria smart socks]] are made of materials that can detect pressure changes under your foot and transmit them back to anklet that communicates with a smart phone via Bluetooth. The [[Sensoria]] anklet also includes accelerometers to enhance the data gathered from the pressure sensors. While these socks are interesting, unlike a true pressure plate that has a matrix of pressure sensors, the socks have just three sensors, one in the heel and two in the forefoot. <jfs id="B019RWCWCA" noreferb="true"/> for a pair of left & right socks, plus one anklet. Note that the socks last for 60 washes and cost $45, which works out to $0.75 per run. That might be cheap to a triathlete, but to most runners that works out pricy. Read [[Sensoria| my full review of Sensoria]].
<br/>(Sensoria also make a tee that shirt includes an embedded Heart Rate monitor strap, you can plug a standard heart rate transmitter module into. They sell a dual Bluetooth/Ant+ transmitter, as well as working with the Polar H7 and some Garmin modules. )
=TgForce=
The TgForce measures just one thing; the peak impact on your lower leg. While this is a far cry from the broad array of data gathered by devices like [[RunScribe]], TgForce may add some particularly valuable insight. Measuring the impact that the foot can be a little misleading as the movement of your ankle can absorb a significant portion of that shock, so knowing how much of the force is transmitted to your lower leg may give a much better insight into injuries. The impact that your lower leg (tibia) receives will be transmitted into your knee, so reducing that stress might be quite helpful. The companion app only runs on iOS devices, not android, which will limit the appeal for some, and unless you buy two devices, it will only measure one leg at a time. Even if you get two devices, it doesn't appear that the app readily supports this approach, unlike [[RunScribe]] that does a lot to provide side to side comparisons. That said, I really like to have real-time feedback, something that TgForce provides, either visually for use on a treadmill, or audibly outside. I've ordered a TgForce and I'll post the results soon.
=RPM<sup>2</sup>=
RPM<sup>2</sup> (Remote Performance Measurement/Monitoring) is a pair of insoles that fit into your normal running shoes. These insoles measure pressure and use accelerometers to measure movement (a little like Sensoria). The details are not entirely clear from the web site, but they claim to measure [[Cadence]], Ground Contact Time, [[Foot Strike]], and "acceleration power". The system also claims to measure running power, though I'm not sure of the methodology. The RPM<sup>2</sup> system measure pressure in four areas (Sensoria has three), giving a [[Pronation]] measurement. There are notes that RPM<sup>2</sup> insoles are not waterproof, which is rather disconcerting, and if you run in different shaped shoes the fitment is likely to be problematic. The sizing of the insoles needs to take into account the position of the ball of the foot to ensure the sensor is in the right place. The system supports both Ant+ and Bluetooth so there is both a phone app and some information that can be displayed on a watch (it's not clear if this is more than just power). The system can also be used as a power meter for cycling.
=Wahoo TICKR Run=
The [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KLAGSW8 Wahoo TICKR Run] is a chest strap based system that's similar to Garmin's [[Running Dynamics]]. It supports both Bluetooth and Ant+, which is nice, but most of the functionality requires you to have your phone with you on your run. If you do, then you get Cadence, Ground Contact Time, Vertical osculation, and 3D smoothness. This 3D smoothness shows the jerk (rate of change of acceleration) in three planes; forward-backward, up-down, and side to side. I have a TICKR Run on order and I'll test it soon.
=Moxy=
[[Moxy]] uses the same approach as BSX, using infrared light to detect the oxygen saturation of the muscles of blood. Moxy is not as easy to use as the BSX, but it's the data seems to be rather more reliable, though it requires rather more effort to interpret.
The [[BSX| BSX Lactate Threshold Monitor]] attempts to estimates your [[Lactate Threshold]] by measuring the oxygen saturation of the blood within your muscles. The results of the first version were extremely disappointing, but I have not had the opportunity to fully test the updated hardware. However, even if the BSX works perfectly, its value is limited by the relative ineffectiveness of [[Tempo Runs| Lactate Threshold Training]]. You can read about my testing at [[BSX]].
[[File:BSX1.jpg|none|thumb|x300px|The dashboard view of the BSX app, showing previous results.]]
=Sensoria=
The [https://www.amazon.com/Sensoria-Fitness-Socks-and-Anklet/dp/B019RWCWCA Sensoria smart socks] are made of materials that can detect pressure changes under your foot and transmit them back to anklet that communicates with a smart phone via Bluetooth. The [[Sensoria]] anklet also includes accelerometers to enhance the data gathered from the pressure sensors. While these socks are interesting, unlike a true pressure plate that has a matrix of pressure sensors, the socks have just three sensors, one in the heel and two in the forefoot. <jfs id="B019RWCWCA" noreferb="true"/> for a pair of left & right socks, plus one anklet. Note that the socks last for 60 washes and cost $45, which works out to $0.75 per run. That might be cheap to a triathlete, but to most runners that works out pricy. Read [[Sensoria| my full review of Sensoria]].
<br/>(Sensoria also make a tee that shirt includes an embedded Heart Rate monitor strap, you can plug a standard heart rate transmitter module into. They sell a dual Bluetooth/Ant+ transmitter, as well as working with the Polar H7 and some Garmin modules. )

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