Accuracy is vital when tracking physical activity. While there is a lot of wearable fitness tech available, our research has revealed that none of the major ones provide accurate results. In some cases, readings are off by as much as 50%, you are not getting the information you need to progress.
When SwiftSwim was designed, we sought to create a product that had the highest level of accuracy. Researchers from our company looked to big wearable tech companies to see how our fitness tracking compared.
What we found was surprising. While every wearable tech company claims that their device is the best available, none provide data to support those claims. None of the big brands show users the data that make up their readings. As there was no available standard, it was necessary to create one.
To test the accuracy of SwiftSwim and other wearable fitness devices, we set up a unique experiment. We measured using what we call a real swim. A swimmer wore our device while swimming to capture data while we videotaped them. The experiment was repeated over seven days with an hour of swimming each day. After, we compared the pools, strokes and styles recorded by the SwiftSwim to what could be seen in the videos. Our study shows that the SwiftSwim has 92% accuracy detecting swimming style and a very low error counting pools and strokes, providing a far better gauge of athletic activity.
In the spirit of transparency and because there was no other standard for measuring the overall accuracy of fitness devices, we have published the results of our internal accuracy procedures.
We also open source all our code, allowing third parties provide feedback to improve the process and give those working toward fitness better results.
We want everyone to have the opportunity to have more accurate devices. Our experiment design and our code can be used on any fitness tracker by any individual to measure the accuracy of their device. By sharing data and working toward a higher standard, we can all work together for a better way to track and meet our fitness goals.