Fitness tracking is no longer tied to the wrist. In 2025, AI is migrating into smaller form factors and fabrics, offering round-the-clock insights without a screen. Smart rings deliver sleep and readiness scores, metabolic patches translate glucose swings into habits, and smart textiles capture heart and breathing data during real workouts. Together they promise quieter hardware and more actionable coaching.

Why “beyond the watch” now

Rings, patches, and garments solve three pain points of traditional trackers: comfort, battery life, and signal quality. Rings avoid wrist-based optical noise during weight training, skin patches capture continuous biomarkers with minimal friction, and shirts place sensors closer to the chest for cleaner respiratory and ECG-adjacent signals. The shift matters because AI needs stable, high-quality inputs to produce reliable readiness, sleep, and recovery guidance.

Smart rings are leading the charge

Oura Ring popularized the format with daily Sleep and Readiness scores built from HRV, skin temperature change, and motion—packaged into coaching that nudges training loads and bedtime routines.

Samsung Galaxy Ring layers Galaxy AI insights into Samsung Health, including an “Energy Score” that summarizes sleep, activity, and vitals for day-planning. Samsung also expanded ring sizes for better fit.

Ultrahuman Ring Air emphasizes recovery and temperature-based insights, with recent cycle and ovulation features derived from an acquired temperature algorithm; note current U.S. availability caveats.

Skin patches bring metabolic context

Most fitness wearables infer effort from heart rate and movement. Metabolic context—how the body responds to food and training—has been harder to see. Abbott’s Lingo uses a small, disposable glucose biosensor to visualize glucose variability and translate it into behavioral coaching for everyday users (distinct from prescription CGMs).

Clinical cardiac patches such as iRhythm’s Zio are designed for medical diagnosis, not fitness, and require clinician oversight—useful to distinguish from consumer patches readers might encounter.

Smart clothes capture signals where they happen

Textile-embedded sensors move measurement to the torso, improving signal quality for breathing, heart-rate surrogates, and posture during runs or strength sessions. Hexoskin smart garments integrate washable sensors and a small module to log cardiac, respiratory, sleep, and activity metrics—useful for endurance training and lab-style sessions outside the lab.

Wrist-free doesn’t mean screen-free: bands like WHOOP continue to push AI-assisted “strain” and “recovery” coaching on low-profile hardware for athletes who dislike watches.

What to look for before you buy

• Signals & accuracy: Prefer devices with stable nighttime HR/HRV and temperature for more reliable sleep and readiness scoring (rings), validated glucose trend guidance (patches), or torso-placed sensors for respiration (garments).
• Coaching quality: AI summaries like Readiness/Energy/Recovery should explain why a score changed and how to adjust training today.
• Fit & comfort: Proper ring sizing (including larger sizes) and garment fit determine data quality; look for sizing kits and clear return policies.
• Privacy & ecosystem: Check data export, integrations (Apple Health, Samsung Health), and whether features require subscriptions.
• Region & regulation: Confirm local availability for rings and whether patches are OTC consumer products versus medical devices.

Key Takeaways

• Smart rings offer high-compliance sleep and recovery tracking with improving AI coaching.
• Metabolic patches add context that heart-rate alone can’t provide, but check consumer vs. medical status.
• Smart textiles capture chest-level signals for better breathing and posture insights during training.

What This Means for You

Choosing a “beyond the watch” wearable is about matching signals to goals. For sleep and day-to-day readiness, a ring is the simplest option. To understand how meals affect energy and training, a glucose patch can close the loop. For form and respiratory work, textile sensors shine. Start with one device that answers your primary question, then add others if the data leads to better decisions.

FAQ

Are smart rings accurate enough to guide training?

They’re best for sleep, recovery trends, and day-planning. Pair ring insights with perceived effort and, for athletes, occasional lab or field tests to calibrate zones.

Can a glucose patch replace nutrition coaching?

No. Consumer patches visualize glucose patterns to encourage steadier energy. They complement, not replace, individualized nutrition plans or clinical CGMs for medical conditions.

Do smart shirts work for strength training?

Yes—torso-based sensors can capture breathing and posture during sets without wrist interference, provided the garment fits snugly.