Using physical activity monitors in smart environments and social networks: applications and challenges

Abstract

The use of smart watches and fitness wrists has been increasing in recent years. On the one hand, their cost has become cheaper and their performance has improved. On the other hand, the increase in the number of people who practice sports such as running and cycling is another factor to consider. The increase in the number of popular athletes has meant that these devices are no longer considered intended for a minority or an elite, but are even used in people’s daily movements or in simpler activities such as walking. Some of these devices simply count the number of steps taken, while more advanced devices include energy consumption, distance travelled, speed, GPS tracking position, altimetry or heart rate. Moreover, there are social networks that allow athletes to share information gathered by their own activities, especially track and altimetry. This opens up a wider range of possibilities in sports training. However, the gathering of this rich information makes many more applications possible. For example, city planners can analyze the movements of people to detect possible shortcomings in public transport systems, deficiencies in urban pathways, and so on. This research work shows a taxonomy of different applications that use the data gathered by physical activity monitors and shared in social networks. The opportunities and drawbacks regarding the use of such applications in intelligent environments are also discussed.