Abstract
The aim of the study was to assess the validity and reliability of wearable body metric Hexoskin “smart shirt” in measuring heart rate (HR) at pre-exercise and during peak effort in a field test incorporating vigorous movements of the upper body. Measurements were recorded simultaneously using the Hexoskin and Polar Team Pro. Nine male professional handball players (age: 21.8 ± 2.4 years; weight: 83 ± 10.26 kg; height: 1.81 ± 0.09 m; and BMI: 25.17 ± 2.23) volitionally participated in the study by completing two 400 m shuttle run test trials (10 shuttles), each separated by a 48 to 72 h recovery period. Results indicated significant correlations between Hexoskin and Polar Team Pro system in pre-exercise HR. Hexoskin provided erroneous measurements in four of the nine athletes during peak effort. Subsequent correction yielded no consistency between the Polar Team Pro system and Hexoskin between the first and the second trial. Hexoskin showed significant reliability in pre-exercise HR. However, Hexoskin picked up excessive artifact during vigorous physical activity in four of the nine athletes rendering the results in these cases useless. Nevertheless, in athletes where artifact was not an issue, ICC yielded a good estimate. The main findings indicate that Hexoskin has good validity and reliability in measuring pre-exercise HR in handball players and hence may be used with high confidence in slow motion activities. However, vigorous physical activity with jarring multidirectional upper body movements posed a challenge for Hexoskin.
Highlights
Robust, small, and non-obtrusive accurate measurement tracking devices have become increasingly popular in professional sports, recreational exercise, and research (Paradiso et al, 2005)
The device measures parameters related to physical activity such as exercise intensity, step count, cadence, and caloric expenditure by utilizing cardiac and breathing sensors imbedded in the shirt
“Large” to “very large” significant correlations have been shown in pre-exercise heart rate (HR) measured in the first and second trial, respectively, between Hexoskin and Polar Team Pro system results
Summary
Small, and non-obtrusive accurate measurement tracking devices have become increasingly popular in professional sports, recreational exercise, and research (Paradiso et al, 2005). Devices that accurately and reliably monitor physiological, metabolic and technical variables during physical activity without being intrusive and without influencing the mechanics of the athletes. The commercially sold Hexoskin shirt (Carré Technologies Inc., San Francisco, CA, United States) is one of the most lightweight and cost-effective (Notley et al, 2018; D’souza et al, 2019) physiological telemetry devices. Hexoskin claims to provide accurate physiological and kinetic data such as heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), breathing rate (BR), and breathing volume (BV) in real-time via wireless telemetry. The device measures parameters related to physical activity such as exercise intensity, step count, cadence, and caloric expenditure by utilizing cardiac and breathing sensors imbedded in the shirt. The Hexoskin shirt contains cardiac sensors in their built-in thoracic and abdominal bands
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