Cardio Fitness Score feature on Ionic?

[MariusVlad]

Will it be able to calculate VO2Max using the SPO2 sensor?

Moderator edit: edited title for clarity

[SunsetRunner]

From what I've read, the VO2 max is estimated from cardio and the SpO2 sensor is for estimating blood oxygen levels for tracking health indicators, such as sleep apnea. I don't think they've tied the two together.

Also, I've just been going through the developer guides and can't find access being granted to SPO2 sensor either.

[MariusVlad]

But will we have a VO2 Max estimate on this device? There is a possibility to implement this feature?

[SunsetRunner]

Reading around it, I imagine it'll be an in-app feature, rather than a figure on the watch.

[kenjamin · Accepted solution]

Fitbit calls this the Cardio Fitness Score/Level but it is actually VO2 Max. Proof.

On the fitbit.com/ionic page, it does list Cardio Fitness Level under design & specs.

[SunsetRunner]

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@kenjamin wrote:

On the fitbit.com/ionic page, it does list Cardio Fitness Level under design & specs.

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Yes, and the way they refer to it suggests that it will be a feature of the app rather than the Ionic, along the same lines as the Charge  2.

[MariusVlad]

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@kenjamin wrote:

Fitbit calls this the Cardio Fitness Score/Level but it is actually VO2 Max. Proof.

On the fitbit.com/ionic page, it does list Cardio Fitness Level under design & specs.

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Now I see. I'm more and more happy that I chose to preorder Ionic. 

[kenjamin]

Yes, and the way they refer to it suggests that it will be a feature of the app rather than the Ionic, along the same lines as the Charge  2.

FWIW, they do call it out in their press release too:

In addition to these new features, Ionic has everything you love about Fitbit – automatically track your steps, calories, floors climbed and sleep stages, see your cardio fitness level (estimated VO2 Max), maintain moments of calm and more.

Hopefully this means it is in app. If it isn't in the OS I'll look into writing a simple app that displays it once I get my Ionic, if the API does expose it. Not seeing that documented yet, but not sure if that falls under the Web API or the Device API or what.

[SunsetRunner]

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@kenjamin wrote:

Yes, and the way they refer to it suggests that it will be a feature of the app rather than the Ionic, along the same lines as the Charge  2.

FWIW, they do call it out in their press release too:

In addition to these new features, Ionic has everything you love about Fitbit – automatically track your steps, calories, floors climbed and sleep stages, see your cardio fitness level (estimated VO2 Max), maintain moments of calm and more.

Hopefully this means it is in app. If it isn't in the OS I'll look into writing a simple app that displays it once I get my Ionic, if the API does expose it. Not seeing that documented yet, but not sure if that falls under the Web API or the Device API or what.

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Yes they call it out but it's the same blurb the relate to with the Charge 2. Looking at the SDK, I don't see anything accessible that remotely looks like VO2 data. I'm thinking they'll just plot what they estimate from HR data, along with any GPS data that matches a particular workout.

[bbarrera]

CardioScore aka VO2max is only available in the app (and not web dashboard). When you buy Charge 2 or Blaze you get a "feel good" score, well, not a score but a range of scores. To get a more accurate estimate, you need at least one run, sometimes several, with at least 10 minutes on flat ground. Cycling is not supported, you must run to get a more accurate estimate. Last I looked on the Charge 2 forums, there were reports that slower and/or longer runs would bring your score down. Hope that has changed, I don't know. Finally your results are not graphed over time. Wareable.com saw inconsistent results, and ranked it below devices that used Firstbeat technology to estimate VO2max for running. My bike computer has Firstbeat and it works well, they have a patent on automatically extracting good data so you don't need to do anything special to get a score. It does need a few weeks to get accurate estimates, otherwise it just works and Garmin lets you graph trends over time.

We could be surprised when Ionic launches, but I suspect VO2max is 'feature complete' and the Ionic will get the same VO2max as Charge 2 and Blaze. And that means don't expect API access, its an app only exclusive.

[kenjamin]

Check out page 44 of the manual. Actually I think this confirms it displays on the phone, not the Ionic.

[bbarrera]

as expected, thanks for sharing the manual link.