Q: Does Garmin work with Stryd?

Yes. Stryd’s running power foot pod connects to Garmin watches through a Connect IQ data field. Garmin also calculates its own running power from the wrist or an HRM strap, so a Stryd pod is optional rather than required.

Question 1

What is Garmin Muscle Battery?

Accepted Answer

Muscle Battery is a metric Garmin trademarked in early 2026 to process muscle oxygen data. Garmin has not confirmed what hardware it requires. A dedicated muscle oxygen sensor is the obvious route, though the score could also draw on EMG, load modelling, or existing heart rate and accelerometer data.

Question 2

Does Garmin make a muscle oxygen sensor?

Accepted Answer

No. Garmin sells no muscle oxygen hardware. It reads SmO2 from third-party sensors such as Moxy and Train Red via the ANT+ muscle oxygen profile, then displays the values on compatible watches and Edge computers.

Question 3

Will Garmin release a muscle oxygen sensor?

Accepted Answer

It is the most likely new Garmin sensor. The ANT+ profile already exists, the hardware is understood, and the Muscle Battery trademark points to a branded score on top. Whoop was granted a near-infrared muscle-oxygenation patent in April 2026, which puts pressure on Garmin to ship its own.

Question 4

What sensors does Garmin already sell?

Accepted Answer

Garmin sells the Tempe temperature sensor, HRM chest straps, running and foot pods, Rally power meter pedals with Cycling Dynamics, Varia radar and lights, Tacx trainers, and the Index scale. It also reads many third-party ANT+ sensors, including muscle oxygen and, through a phone, continuous glucose monitors.

Question 5

Does a Garmin watch work with Moxy or Train Red?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Both Moxy and Train Red transmit over the ANT+ muscle oxygen profile, which Garmin watches and Edge computers can read and record. The raw SmO2 reading appears as a data field. Any higher-level scoring remains within each brand&#8217;s app.

Question 6

Does Garmin work with Stryd?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Stryd&#8217;s running power foot pod connects to Garmin watches through a Connect IQ data field. Garmin also calculates its own running power from the wrist or an HRM strap, so a Stryd pod is optional rather than required.

Question 7

Will Garmin make a running power foot pod?

Accepted Answer

Unlikely. Stryd holds key patents around dedicated running power footpods, and Garmin already produces running power without one. There is no commercial reason for Garmin to build a pod it does not need.

Question 8

Does Garmin make an aerodynamic drag sensor?

Accepted Answer

No. Garmin bought the aero firm Alphamantis in 2017 and built a Vector Air prototype that never shipped. Real-time CdA measurement is limited to specialists such as Aerosensor, Notio and Velocomp, whose sensors display on Garmin Edge computers via Connect IQ.

Question 9

What was the Garmin Vector Air?

Accepted Answer

Vector Air was a Garmin cycling aerodynamics prototype shown after the 2017 Alphamantis acquisition. It was designed to calculate live aerodynamic drag on an Edge computer. Garmin never released it, which signals difficult real-world calibration and a market too small to justify production.

Question 10

Could Garmin add a hydration or sweat sensor?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and it is one of the more feasible additions. Flowbio and hDrop have shown that wearable fluid and sodium sensors work, and both already stream to Garmin. Garmin could build its own sensor or acquire an incumbent to integrate the data natively.

Question 11

Does Garmin work with hDrop or Flowbio?

Accepted Answer

Yes. hDrop streams sweat and sodium data to Garmin devices, and Flowbio has tested a real-time Garmin data field. Both measure fluid and sodium loss during exercise, so athletes replace what they lose rather than guess.

Question 12

Does Garmin measure core body temperature?

Accepted Answer

Not with its own sensor. Garmin reads core temperature from the Greenteg CORE sensor through Connect IQ. Core temperature supports heat acclimation training, which raises plasma volume and can lift VO2max, but the use case is narrow, so a Garmin core temperature product would be a niche accessory at most.

Question 13

Can a Garmin watch measure blood glucose?

Accepted Answer

Not directly. Garmin can display data from third-party continuous glucose monitors such as Dexcom Stelo through a phone bridge. The athlete-focused Supersapiens platform, which paired with Abbott&#8217;s sensor, closed in 2024.

Question 14

Does Garmin have a glucose sensor patent?

Accepted Answer

Yes. A 2026 Garmin patent describes non-invasive HbA1c estimation using optical sensors, aimed at long-term blood sugar trends for health and diabetes management rather than real-time fuelling during workouts.

Question 15

Does Garmin have ECG?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Several Garmin watches offer an on-demand ECG that records a single reading when you hold the watch. It is a spot check, not continuous monitoring, and Garmin added it after Apple and others.

Question 16

Can a Garmin watch measure blood pressure?

Accepted Answer

No. Garmin offers no blood pressure feature. Cuffless trend estimates exist on some rival devices, and Whoop drew an FDA warning over its blood pressure feature in July 2025 before the agency closed the case in June 2026. If Garmin enters, expect a wellness trend rather than a clinical reading.

Question 17

Will Garmin add a breathing or ventilation sensor?

Accepted Answer

Possibly. Tymewear&#8217;s VitalPro has shown that a chest strap can read breathing rate and minute ventilation and locate ventilatory thresholds without a laboratory metabolic cart, and it already streams to Garmin. Breathing has broad appeal, making it one of the more realistic Garmin builds.

Question 18

Can Garmin measure lactate?

Accepted Answer

No. No consumer device offers continuous lactate measurement during exercise. PercuSense, Abbott and Dexcom are working on it. Until a validated sensor ships, Garmin has nothing to read.

Question 19

Can a wearable measure cortisol?

Accepted Answer

Not yet as a consumer product. Cortisol, the direct stress hormone, remains largely in research, with university prototypes and a few niche devices but no validated mainstream wearable. This sits separate from electrodermal activity, which infers stress from skin conductance and shipped on the Fitbit Sense in 2020.

Question 20

How do wearables measure stress?

Accepted Answer

No wearable measures stress directly. Devices read proxies. Garmin, Apple and Fitbit use physiological signals such as heart rate, HRV, skin temperature and electrodermal activity. Chemical methods that read sweat cortisol, sodium and lactate remain in research, held back by tiny sweat concentrations, lag, and exercise raising cortisol.

Question 21

What is the most likely sensor Garmin will release next?

Accepted Answer

Muscle oxygen. Garmin already reads SmO2 over ANT+, the Muscle Battery trademark needs a sensor to feed it, and the approach follows the same pattern Garmin used with Cycling Dynamics and Body Battery: take a raw sensor reading and wrap it in a proprietary score.

Tag: sports tech sensors

Garmin next gen sensors: 2026 onwards