The Quantified Self: Wearable Technology and Fitness Tracking

New technologies have led to the quantification of movement among individuals and populations, and this development has created a new subfield of research in physical activity and health. Consumer-grade activity trackers (e.g., FitBit, Apple Watch) are a popular way for people to quantify and assess their daily physical activity levels. What do these devices actually measure? Are they accurate? How should we be using these trackers for individual and population health? Evan Hilberg (a doctoral student in kinesiology at Oregon State University, and a 2011 graduate of Linfield College) addresses these questions, among others, in this talk about quantifying physical activity with wearable technologies.