Can your smartwatch really track your workout? new study finds out.
NCT ID NCT07270185
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study from Boston University is checking how accurately wrist-worn devices like smartwatches measure exercise intensity. Fifty-four healthy adults will wear the devices while doing structured and everyday activities. Their movement data will be compared to a gold-standard breathing test. The goal is to make sure these gadgets give reliable health information.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could improve how doctors and researchers use wearable devices to accurately measure physical activity in daily life.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small observational study, not a treatment trial. The results may not apply to all devices or populations.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
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About 54 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
The study population will come from patients who receive care at Boston Medical Center or on the Boston University Medical Campus and who reply to posted flyers about the research study. It is anticipated that about 80 healthy interested individuals 18-89 years old (half 18-59 and half 60-89) will be enrolled and after attrition ultimately data from 54 will be analyzed for the sample.
- Ages
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18 to 89 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Participant is willing and able to comply with study instructions, study visits, and procedures including wearing a tight-fitting respiratory mask * Able to ambulate independently, including walking/running on a treadmill without assistance. * Demonstrates fluency in English * Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score of ≥26 * Score of 100 on the Barthel Index * Participant has reliable access to internet Exclusion Criteria: * Participation in other digital device trials within 1 week or investigational drug trials within 5 half-lives of last dose. * Allergy to polyurethane resin (strap/wristband component), silicone rubber, nickel and/or steel. * Has any planned surgical, dental, or medical procedure that would overlap with study participation. * Participants with cardiac pacemakers, electronic pumps or any other implanted medical devices. * Has any clinically significant medical disorder, condition, disease or clinically significant finding at intake that precludes participant's participation in study activities including any self-reported diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorder, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cerebral vascular accident/stroke, stage 2 hypertension, use of any medication which alters heart rate (HR) response (e.g., Beta blockers and calcium blockers), any history of myocardial infarction high-risk unstable angina, uncontrolled cardiac arrhythmias, active endocarditis, symptomatic severe aortic stenosis, decompensated symptomatic heart failure, acute pulmonary embolus or pulmonary infarction, acute noncardiac disorder that my affect exercise performance/be worsened by exercise (e.g., infection, renal failure), acute myocarditis or pericarditis, left main coronary stenosis or its equivalent, moderate stenotic valvular heart disease, electrolyte abnormalities, tachyarrhythmia or bradyarrhythmia's, atrial fibrillation, high-degree Atrioventricular (AV) block, mobility/orthopedic limitations. * Has any skin conditions, open wounds, or other conditions on the wrists that may interfere with wrist-worn wearable sensors. * Has tuberculosis, oral lesions (sores, bleeding gums), any respiratory illnesses, and/or any other known transmissible infectious diseases during subsequent study visits. * Any changes to recorded health status from intake that would deem participant to be ineligible during subsequent study visits. * Has Asthma * Has claustrophobia * Participants who are investigational site staff members directly involved in the conduct of the study and their family members, site staff members otherwise supervised by the investigator, or participants who are employees directly involved in the conduct of the study. * Has a history of regular alcohol consumption exceeding 7 drinks/week for females or 14 drinks/week for males (1 drink = 5 ounces (150 mL) wine, 12 ounces (360 mL) of beer, or 1.5 ounces (45 mL) of hard liquor) within 12 months of Visit 1 as disclosed by participant during evaluation. * Is a female who is breastfeeding or pregnant, as disclosed by the participant. * Class III Obesity: Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥ 40 kg/m2 * Underweight: BMI \< 18.5 kg/m2 * Resting systolic blood pressure ≥ 160 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 100 mmHg * Resting heart rate \<40 or ≥ 110 beats/min (for participants ≥60 years) * Current tobacco/nicotine use
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Boston Medical Center and BU Medical Campus
RECRUITINGBoston, Massachusetts, 02118, United States
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