The buyout of the muscle oxygen specialist brings localized fatigue tracking one step closer to future Garmin hardware
Garmin has officially confirmed the acquisition of Moxy Monitor, bringing one of the longest-standing specialists in muscle oxygen sensing under its direct ownership.
While the company has offered little comment beyond confirming the purchase, the strategic motivation behind the move suggests a major expansion of Garmin's performance metrics ecosystem.
Earlier this year, Garmin filed a trademark application for 'Muscle Battery', pointing to a potential feature specifically designed to inform muscle oxygen saturation.
For years, Garmin's popular Body Battery feature has provided a macro-level score of central nervous system fatigue by analyzing wrist-based heart rate variability and stress. Muscle Battery, by contrast, could offer a localized twist on that formula, shifting the focus from total systemic energy to peripheral muscle fatigue.
Using near-infrared spectroscopy, muscle oxygen sensors can monitor oxygenation in real time directly within working muscle tissue. This data reveals how hard a specific muscle group is working during an effort, such as a run or cycle—and how quickly oxygenated blood returns during rest intervals.
However, because muscle oxygen can't be measured accurately from the wrist, the acquisition suggests Garmin may be preparing to develop dedicated hardware that athletes can wear directly on specific muscle groups, such as the quads or calves. And, naturally, Moxy's sensor architecture and calibration algorithms in-house are primed to give Garmin a ready-made foundation for any potential new category.
Still, it's also worth pointing out that Garmin typically acquires a couple of companies per year, most of which don't necessarily bear fruit in such a direct fashion.
If this one did, and Garmin was the first mainstream wearable tech brand to turn raw muscle oxygen metrics into a Muscle Battery breakdown, it would give it a distinct edge on its rivals. But, for now, only time will tell.
