The global fitness monitor/tracker market projections for 2023 range from $48 billion to $63 billion
The miniature wearable RTM R3 fitness monitor can measure and analyze an ambulatory person’s respiratory rate, RR, and tidal volume, TV, as well as heart rate, body temperature, hemoglobin oxygen saturation, activity level and body position wirelessly, continuously and accurately.
In 2016, the global fitness monitor/tracker market was valued at ~$18 billion. Market projections for 2023 range from $48 billion to $63 billion. The market includes devices used to monitor and record fitness-related measurements such as steps taken, distance walked, heart rate and others. Some fitness devices are self-contained, and others are wirelessly connected to smartphones or computers, with IOS operating system and smartwatches predominant.
Market growth has been driven by both the introduction of wireless wearable technologies and the increasing interest in and awareness of fitness among all generations.
Key players in the market include Fitbit, Inc., Samsung, Xiaomi Inc., Jawbone, Nike, Adidas, Google, Apple among others.
Interestingly, when high-tech sophisticated athletic training/tracking is done in professional sports environments, where the athlete is wired and connected to instrumentation, one of the key measurements tracked is breathing (respiratory rate (RR) and volume (TV)).
NONE of the wireless devices on the general public market today can measure/track/record respiratory function accurately. The existing respiratory monitoring wearable positioned on the body are subject to motion artifacts, are uncomfortable to wear, measure only respiratory rate and are not accurate. Analysis of breathing sounds is inherently more accurate but in uncontrolled settings is difficult due to background noise.
Proper breathing and learning to maximize every breath are every athlete’s secret weapons and breathing control is one of the simplest ways to transform health and athletic performance. Proper breathing optimizes oxygen and blood flow to the brain, promotes stamina, reduces body fatigue, aids in recovery, reduces stress, increases alertness and quickness to stimuli.
Breathing function reflects actual effort in physical exertion and respiratory rate (RR) responds much faster to physical effort onset and offset and recovery than heart rate. It also has been postulated that RR is a good predictor of time to exhaustion. RR reflects how hard, heavy and strenuous a physical task is and reflects the effort exerted during exercise irrespective of body temperature, absolute workload, metabolic demand and muscle masses involved. Unlike heart rate, RR is strongly associated with perceived exertion including muscle fatigue, glycogen depletion, heat exposure and hypoxia. Ideally, training information would include time spent at each RR value (effort level), RR distribution and RR concentration profile.
Total measured respiratory volume/minute (Minute Ventilation = MV) is indicative of physical fitness during exercise. MV is simply tidal volume (TV) (the amount of air a person inhales) multiplied by RR, i.e. MV = TV x RR.
During maximal exercise, the following table indicates exemplative differences in MV, TV and RR between healthy young adults and elite athletes weighing 200 pounds. Note that the ideal resting breathing rate is 6-8 breaths/minute, and yet the average teen breathes 15-20/minute.
| RR (breaths/min) | TV (L/breath) | MV (L/min) | |
| Healthy Young Adults | 35-45 | .526 – .571 | 18.4 – 25.7 |
| Elite Athlete | 60-70 | .590 – .599 | 35.4 – 41.9 |
The RTM R3 monitor can also be used to monitor athletes, military personnel, industrial/professional (eg. fire fighters, field workers) workers for onset of exhaustion. Heat exhaustion (body temperature < 104o ), usually caused by exertion, and heat stroke (body temperature > 104o ), usually caused by excessive exposure to the sun, are typically accompanied by similar warning signs (headache, nausea, dizziness), including rapid, shallow breathing and disorientation or loss of balance. The RTM R3 can monitor both breathing rate and balance difficulties for early detection of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, which are especially critical for athletes and military personnel.
Since breathing rate and respiratory volume offer accurate estimates of how you are working and how physically fit you are, the RTM device can offer a new and more accurate athletic training and recreational fitness monitoring capability than anything else currently available to the general public. Additionally, the capability of the RTM R3 to provide an early alert to heat stroke and exhaustion addresses a need and opportunity which can result in lives saved.