Live-stream from Garmin watches via ANT+ stick & virtual box (evtl. coud, IOT)

[Peter Gamma]

After all, times are getting better. The new Garmin HRM dual supports Bluetooth 5.0, and there is an example code in Matlab which is built for Bluetooth 5.0, so this should work together:

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/533393-are-there-specific-ble-heart-rate-sensor-devices-available-which-are-compatible-to-the-example-model?s_tid=prof_contriblnk

But this needs first to be confirmed.

[Peter Gamma]

The World is your Venu™ (Garmin advertising) was yesterday. Build your own watch is today .

[Peter Gamma]

The idea of the whole world wearing the same sportswatch frightens me .

In times of individualized society everbody should have the right to build his own sports watch, which fits for his needs.

[Peter Gamma]

Does the Garmin HRM dual (Bluetooth 5.0) work with Matlab BLE example?

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/533393-are-there-specific-ble-heart-rate-sensor-devices-available-which-are-compatible-to-the-example-model?s_tid=prof_contriblnk

A PhD. Software engineer is wanted to participate and test the Matlab BLE example.

[Peter Gamma]

A solution which is a little bit easier is the new Pyloton Cycling Computer, an open source cycling computer that displays heart rate, speed, cadence, and song playback info .

https://learn.adafruit.com/pyloton

I was looking at the instruction, which is excellent, and I suppose it shoud be possible to connect the Pyloton over micro usb to Matlab or Pyton. Tere is a component of the Pyloton which is Arduino compatible and has a usb port.

[Peter Gamma]

PYLOTON,open source bike computer, derived from Pedolon (streaming fitness classes to you live and on-demand), and Python.

Pyloton has circuit Python language, firmware upgrade over usb, sensors are recognized in the Adafruit app, mounting system, mounting of sensors:

[Peter Gamma]

PYLOTON open source bike computer, no Azure cloud, no ANT+ stick, no Phd. computer engineer necessary to stream BLE sensor data to Matlab or Python .

[Peter Gamma]

What I miss on the PYLOTON open source bike computer is a real-time data aquisition software. To my knowledge, there is no real-time data aquisition system available for sporting activities to this date, exept for Equivital's wireless physiological monitoring system from Adinstruments, which is very expensive and has a short warranty time. Also it' s difficult to access raw data from sporting activies for instance from Garmin watches. Integration of the Pyloton Open Source Cycling Computer into OpenSignals could solve this problem.

https://forum.bitalino.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=610

Or a Windows Python project for the PYLOTON with graphs, plots and data in an easy accessible way.

[Peter Gamma]

Seven pages of Blog (Azure Cloud & ANT+ stick solution taken together) to stream Garmin ANT+ sensor data to a PC. Is there an instruction among these different kind of possibilities which is attractive to somone?

55 pages of instruction for the Pyloton Open Source Bike computer , and you are there (55 pages of PDF printout instruction). 

The only problem which is not descripted is how to read out sensor data from the Pyloton usb port. But this should be possible, i see no reason why this should not work. There are many instructions for Matlab or Python how to read out data from an Arduino, and the Pyloton is Arduino compatible.

[Peter Gamma]

It is difficult to access raw data from a Garmin watches, either in real time, but also post processing. I ll choose the following setup. I will use a Polar OH1 and a Stryd foot pod to aquire sensor data for post processing purposes. Both are litte controversial for it s accuracy.

Data scientist Max Candocia has developed a great python script how to pull out raw data from Garmin .fit files with their intransparent file structure:

https://www.thisisant.com/forum/viewthread/7358/

Who knows better than a Data Scientist how to pull out data from a Garmin watch? I will follow Max Candocias way.

Garmin watches and also other sports watches are not built to access sensor data in real time. This can be solved by the new Pytolon BLE open source bike computer. But it is currently something for developers:

https://github.com/PeterGamma/Pyloton-CircuitPython-Cycling-Computer

To access sensor data in real time has the advantage, that it is possible to choose your own file format. To get real time heart rate data I will choose Bitalino ECG:

https://plux.info/bundles/428-bitalino-revolution-heartbit-bt.html

It is easy to get real time data from Bitalino ECG; for instance in Bitalino s Matlab Toolbox.

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/53983-bitalino-toolbox

For step counting I will choose the BeagleBone Blue. There is already an example which is working:

https://www.mathworks.com/help/supportpkg/beagleboneblue/ref/counting-steps-using-beagleboneblue-hardware-example.html

The BeagleBone Blue is not optimal for step counting. Who wants to mount an energy hungry Linux computer on their foot, which not even has an HDMI out for testing? Migration of the step counting software to a Bitalino solution could solve this problem:

https://forum.bitalino.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&p=2213&sid=cd8471bbf27ab54828b1b5a236df68c1#p2213
 

[Peter Gamma]

The accuracy of the Bitalino low cost biomedical toolkit has already been compaired to a standard deivce and is published. When using this setup of sensors, the accuracy of already tested sensors can be checked:

https://forum.bitalino.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&p=2211#p2211

[Peter Gamma]

I have put together all the links of the discussed components and pasted them in .readme file on my Github, to contribute to it s further developement:

https://github.com/PeterGamma

[Peter Gamma]

There are alternatives to ANT+ sticks, Microsoft Azure Clouds, Linux Virtual Boxes running in Windows using Python ANT+, which costs less or are easier to handle.

[Peter Gamma]

Who does not want a device which can be plugged into a PC and shows the heart rate of your Garmin watch? I wonder why it does not already exist. I don t know whether it is possible to make money out of it. But for a software developer it is an easy job. But the information how to do it is not easy to find.

[Peter Gamma]

Bitalino OpenSignals has the option for Lab Streaming Layer LSL. LSL is a well documented standard. This allows easy sensor streaming to other applications with LSL support, for instance Python.

In this way a Bitalino real time system (ECG and foot pod), which are essential components of a activity tracking system can be made real without Matlab.

https://downloads.plux.info/OpenSignals/opensignals_lsl_guide.zip

[Peter Gamma]

I downloaded OpenSignals from Bitalino. It has an option to switch on LSL, which can be received in Python. It has also an option for TCP/IP to switch on. There is a documentation available in OpenSignals for both options. These two options are only available in OpenSignals for Desktop, but not in OpenSignals mobile, which  I also downloaded. No live streaming options can be choosen in OpenSignals mobile.

[Peter Gamma]

If you don t want to carry arround a laptop all the time for data aquisition, the android application a training tracker

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.atrainingtracker

can record ANT and BLE sensor data directy to csv  .


CSV data can directly be opened on the smartphone with Planmaker from Softmaker

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=softmaker.applications.planmaker.hd


You can add user comments to the .csv data on the smartphone in this way, store them, and then process the data further for instance in Microsoft Access.

I had to make a hard reset every time I changed to a new heart rate sensor with a training tracker. But using always the same heart rate sensor, for instance a chest strap, or different smart phones for different sensors could solve the problem.

[Peter Gamma]

The same should be possible in OpenSignals mobile for Bitalino

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=info.plux.opensignalsmobile

OpenSignals mobile can record Bitalino data directly to .txt files on the smartphone, where they should also be opened by Planmaker mobile from Softmaker.

[Peter Gamma]

To control user data to see whether it is possible to make money out of it is out .

The user data belong to the user. Give free access to those data.

CSV or TXT format instead of .fit file format which can only be accessed easily by companies .

[Peter Gamma]

Also use BLE sensors instead of ANT sensors if you want to access your data on a PC. There are hardly any PC applications which can process ANT sensor data in real time. BLE is more widespread, for instance for video streaming. More and more software will be available for BLE.

[Peter Gamma]

Why to use a special ANT+ standard, and why to use a .fit file format? Why not use BLE sensors instead, and record data in a file format which can also be processed by Data Analysis software like Matlab?

[Peter Gamma]

A file format which can be accessed by Matlab, Excel or other standard software, and does not need special converter software from a Data Scientist before it has a clear and transparent data structure .

[Peter Gamma]

To find the .csv generated by a training tracker is a bit tricky. First, you have to tick on in a training tracker, that you want .csv. Only then a folder is generated. I could find the folder with the .csv by connecting my Galaxy S5 to the PC, and then seraching for .csv files on the phone.

This PC\Galaxy S5\Phone\Android\data\com.atrainingtracker\files\CSV

Once you got the .csv files, they are very clear. A clear time stamp, a clear data structure  . Similar to the data struture generated by Data Scientist Max Candocias .fit to .csv Python script.

[Peter Gamma]

My goal is to replace ANT+ sensors, .fit file format, and Garmin Connect by alternative products. The world whould be a much better place for people who love their data and want free and easy access to it,with good alternatives to those products .

[Peter Gamma]

With a setup of Polar OH1 connected to a  Garmin watch, Polar H7 connected to a training tracker, and Bitalino ECG connected to OpenSignals or OpenSignals mobile, you can record three heart rate sensors simultaneously, which are already tested for their accuracy by scientific methods, and you are able to compare your recordings to the scientific data.