Humon Hex - Wearable device that measures oxygen in muscles

[Tom Kindlon]

Somebody suggested to me today this could be useful either for individuals or as part of research so I thought I would throw it out there.
https://humon.io/

 

[Mary]

It looks interesting, I wish it was a bit more affordable!

 

[Wishful]

Seems that the accuracy of such devices is questionable: https://newatlas.com/humon-hex-muscle-oxygen-wearable/52850/ and https://newatlas.com/fitness-tracker-data-accuracy-study-stanford/49699/

It might have a use in measuring changes in an individual's blood status, but I wouldn't use the numbers it provides for anything scientific at this point. The mood ring of 1975 showed changes too.

 

[Runner5]

There have been several devices like this brought to the market with credible looking web sites (but I used to work in design and making web sites literally sell legitimacy) -- but they turned out to be fake and over sold and underdelivered and scams.

But I'll send this over to someone I know who works high up in the tech world and have him investigate. If it really can track my muscle O2 Saturation and Lactate build up I'm buying it.

If it really worked it would be phenomenal. That said I still follow loads of runners and professional athletes and have never heard of this device and no one I know trains with it which is a red flag for me, a lot of runners like to crunch their numbers, keep Strava public records and follow others Strava profiles etc. It's a geeky crowd.

 

[Wishful]

I was thinking more about these devices last night. To me it seems that accurate measurement of body functions isn't the primary function: it's providing some numbers in a convenient and fashionable way. Measuring heart rate accurately is easy...if you use inconvenient stick-on electrodes. The Humon sounds like another fashion accessory and addition to bragging or competition on social networking. Maybe it--and other such devices--are of actual value to some people, but I expect the majority will be sold as fashion accessories or yet another gadget bought 'to lose weight or boost fitness' and ignored once the owner realized that it still requires effort and willpower.

 

[Mary]

Seems that the accuracy of such devices is questionable: https://newatlas.com/humon-hex-muscle-oxygen-wearable/52850/ and https://newatlas.com/fitness-tracker-data-accuracy-study-stanford/49699/

It might have a use in measuring changes in an individual's blood status, but I wouldn't use the numbers it provides for anything scientific at this point. The mood ring of 1975 showed changes too.

I looked at both the articles you cited. The second one states that fitness trackers like Fitbit are surprisingly accurate as to heart rate, but fail abysmally as to energy expenditure. However, from what I can tell, Fitbit and related devices measure energy expenditure (calories expended) in this way:

The calorie burn estimate that Fitbit provides takes into account your BMR, the activity recorded by your tracker, and any activities you log manually.

https://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/1381/?q=how does fitbit flex measure energy expenditure&l=en_US&c=Products:Force&fs=Search&pn=1

This has nothing to do with using near infrared light to measure a muscle's hemoglobin saturation and then calculating muscle oxygenation as the Humon Hex does, as described in the first article you cited. Using near infrared light in this way is similar to how pulse oximeters work. Actually, now I'm wondering how the Humon Hex differs from a pulse oximeter! I've used a pulse oximeter in the past when crashed, thinking it might show low blood oxygen levels, but no such luck. Mine was always fine. And I tried it after climbing a flight of stairs, but again my oxygen level was fine.

 

[kangaSue]

The science behind the technology is sound at least.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1872931216300837;
Recent developments in near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for the assessment of local skeletal muscle microvascular function and capacity to utilise oxygen

 

[kushami]

There’s another device called the Moxy Monitor that seems similar:
https://www.moxymonitor.com/

So far only used in sports science:
https://www.moxymonitor.com/researchers/

And obviously this page is written by the company!

(I also uses NIRS although the website doesn’t seem to mention that anywhere, and I clicked around for some time.)

 

[kushami]

The Humon website states that the device has been clinically validated at Harvard:
https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.14814/phy2.13664

So that’s something.

The Moxy website doesn’t mention anything specific about validation.

 

[Wishful]

I recently saw a new item about an improved sensor for hormones. That would hopefully allow people to monitor the blood levels of various hormones at home, at a reasonable cost.

Not quite a Star Trek medical tricorder yet, but we're getting there. Engineers matched and exceeded the Star Trek communicator, so there's hope for the tricorder too. Let's just skip the phasers.

 

[Florida Guy]

I haven't worn my garmin watch in weeks, maybe a month. It gives you numbers and charts to look at and apart from that, not much else. The heart rate is somewhat accurate but everything else seems to be just a made up number. The body battery people talk about was also mostly meaningless for me. A super low reading like 10 or less might come with feeling tired or feeling good. A high rating likewise seemed to mean very little and the watch started giving me only ratings below 40 in the morning even after a good nights sleep. Number of steps and calories burned were always greatly exaggerated and meaningless.

The polar strap was also unimpressive. I looked at other watches but most or maybe all seem to be fashion accessories with questionable data. Most like this humon have very short battery life, one day or less. What I look for is something practical you can use and get solid benefits from. If it simply beeped when you were over exerting, that would be enough. No need for charts and numbers, just listen for the beep. You set your exertion level and it tells you when you are close to going over. Do any of them do that?

It seems like we are getting snowed by pretty charts and a long list of things its supposed to measure but mostly doesn't measure well. The heart rate monitor is borderline useful but it didn't do me any good. My pulse can go over 100 or 110 just by going into the kitchen. I usually saw what the rate was afterward. Does that mean I should not do anything that makes the rate go up? Stay in bed all day? Not for me. One day there will be a really good watch that makes a big difference but that day has not come yet, IMO.

 

[kushami]

@Wishful , I was thinking of a tricorder too!

I wouldn’t be surprised if the folk from the Workwell Foundation had had a try of these NIRS devices, but just not published anything yet. They seem to be keen on trying out new technology and “wearables”.

 

[kushami]

I hope I didn’t give the impression that purchasing one of these for personal use would be appropriate (except for people who want to explore it out of scientific interest).

I do think “NIRS on the thigh” could have a place in research and testing/assessments, when it would be used by scientists/doctors who understand how it works and its limitations.

It would be handy if it could be used in the future to measure the effectiveness of medications, or investigate diurnal rhythms in symptoms. Maybe one day it could be leant out like a Holter monitor to patients to gather data.

 

[Wishful]

but everything else seems to be just a made up number.

Not much better than the mood rings from the 70's?

 

[kushami]

Perhaps Dr Systrom or the folks at the Workwell Foundation could strap a NIRS device onto the patient‘s thigh when doing CPETs.