Garmin - Fitness and Outdoor Wearables
Background
Garmin is already well known for its GPS-enabled
smartwatches and advanced biometric tracking capabilities. In 2017, wrist-based
heart rate and SpO₂ sensing technology was still in its early stages, with few
reliable solutions on the consumer market. Garmin already had wrist heart rate
monitoring in some of their fitness devices, but with many performance
challenges. To progress the technology to support Garmin’s ambitious goals, we
needed to capture far higher fidelity signals from a moving, sweating wrist while
improving device aesthetics and comfort.
As a mechanical engineer on Garmin’s wrist heart rate
R&D team, I helped pioneer sensor design and integration for the company’s
next generation of smart wearables.
The Challenge
Garmin needed accurate, power-efficient optical biometric sensors
that could scale across it’s growing wearable product lineup - from lightweight
running watches and casual wearables to rugged multisport/outdoor devices.
Signal noise, inconsistent contact pressures, and wrist movement all posed
major hurdles to accuracy.
Our team faced three core challenges:
- Designing
controlled test fixtures to evaluate sensor performance.
- Iterating
sensor geometries to maximize accuracy and minimize battery drain.
- Ensuring
manufacturable, modular integration across multiple device families.
Solution
During the early R&D phase at the time, I was the only mechanical engineer on the team. I designed and fabricated physical test fixtures to support the electrical team isolating electronic variables like wavelength, power output and optical penetration in the skin – and designed/prototyped device mechanics to investigate how mechanical features like wrist fit and stability, skin pressure, and band compliance affect signal integrity during various activities. Using these fixtures and devices, we rapidly tested and validated new sensor layouts and overall device geometry configurations under repeatable conditions.
After locking down an optimal configuration, I used the final layout to design the modular sensor body containing the inline 2-LED x 2-photodiode package seen on Garmin’s Gen 3 heart rate devices. Working with Garmin’s product design teams and tooling engineers, we produced a modular, drop-in sensor unit adaptable across product lines and manufacturable within tight tolerances.
Impact and Results
As new devices like the Fenix, Forerunner, Marq, Vivoactive, and Vivosmart lines evolved, I remained a key technical reviewer while then working on different products, consulting on how changes in case geometry, band stiffness, or watch weight could affect biometric performance.
Over the years, Garmin continued their incredible growth and ingenuity, and newer devices have since moved onto a newer layout with added features. Still, I'm always excited to see my work out in the wild, and continue to wear my Marq Adventurer with pride.
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