A: Exos’ Human Performance Lab tests and validates the programs, products, and services that push health and human performance to the next level. Through Exos’ research, brands get answers to the questions that matter, expand research capacity to test and validate product functionality, and gain insights into user experience and perception to inform product adoption, all at the speed of business.

A: Exos’ Human Performance Lab empowers brands with data and insights to accelerate product innovation. Our end-to-end research capabilities include:

• Study design
• Participant recruitment
• Human subjects regulatory compliance and oversight
• Protocol development and execution
• Product testing and validation
• Large scale or sprint data collection
• Quantitative and qualitative analytics
• Quality control
• IRB submission (if needed) 
• Product development and brand support

A: With a 30-year history championing the human performance industry, Exos is uniquely positioned to be the research and innovation partner to wearables, sensors, athletic footwear, consumer wellness and lifestyle products, technology and related brands. Exos applies leading technology in real-world settings and taps into our diverse study participants comprising athletes, workforce populations and individuals of all demographics, genders, lifestyles, and activity levels to deliver unbiased data insights.

Key differentiators of Exos’ Human Performance Lab include: 

SPEED: We have the proprietary methodology to innovate at the speed of business, accelerating your time to market.

COST: Our transparent pricing mitigates indirect or surprise costs. We offer customization and pricing options to meet your needs.

CAPACITY: With our team of 30+ experts, comprising an innovative multidisciplinary team of PhDs, scientists and practitioners, we quickly expand your research capacity.

REAL DATA: With access to diverse populations and world-class facilities and technologies, we generate real-world, unbiased data.

A: Exos’ Human Performance Lab offers research and innovation services across four main categories:

OBSERVATION AND PERCEPTION STUDIES

Analyze user behavior in current, real-world settings. Understand how users perceive or experience your product.

INTERVENTION STUDIES

Assess outcomes and impact of deployed products.

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND BRAND SUPPORT

Bridge the gap from the lab to the consumer, with insights to accelerate product development and user adoption in real-world settings.

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION CONSULTING

Get support designing studies and protocols, defining meaningful metrics, measuring outcomes, integrating technology, tracking engagement and compliance, and more. 

Exos’ Human Performance Lab is the contract research organization for a wide variety of human performance brands, including sports and athletic footwear, wearable tech and devices, sensors and algorithms, and consumer wellness, lifestyle and recovery products companies.

A: At Exos, we know research is one of the most important investments your business can make. From validating claims and ensuring regulatory compliance, to understanding user experience and perception, identifying product functionality and features that drive product adoption, and testing real-world scenarios with diverse populations, a contract research organization is instrumental to expanding a brand’s research capacity.

A: Tell us about your research study needs and goals here, and let’s start the conversation!

A: Exos’ Human Performance Lab offers full-scale research study management, from study design and protocol development, to participant recruitment, product testing and validation, product development and innovation, regulatory oversight, quantitative and qualitative analytics, quality control, and more.  

Exos’ Human Performance Lab will rightsize your research project budget based on your needs and goals.

For brands who are interested in benefitting from our support designing studies and protocols, defining meaningful metrics, measuring outcomes, integrating technology, tracking engagement and compliance, and more, Exos offers research consulting services starting at $20,000.

A: When human performance brands contract Exos’ research services, the engagement includes Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, where warranted. An IRB serves as an ethical oversight body to ensure research involving human participants adheres to ethical standards. 

To learn more about when IRB approvals are required, how a contract research organization like Exos engages an IRB, and the benefits companies should expect from IRB approved research, watch this IRB Overview, featuring Monica Laudermilk, vice president of research, and Chris Ussery, senior research coordinator.

A: Exos’ Human Performance Lab team is structured as a small dedicated team to be your hands-on partner throughout the research project. Depending on the goals and needs of your research study, we then expand our reach to our team of 30+ experts, comprising an innovative multidisciplinary team of PhDs, scientists and practitioners. Together, this expansive team brings to bear decades of experience, research and industry expertise. 

See Exos in action on LinkedIn and on the Exos HPL YouTube Playlist. From our athletic footwear testing to our sensor validation capabilities, we invite you to follow and subscribe to stay up to date with all the research and innovation happening behind the scenes at our Human Performance Lab.

To receive updates directly to your inbox, sign up for our monthly newsletter for all of the insider information - case studies, updates on active research, industry insights and more. Click here to sign up.

A: Exos’ Human Performance Lab and Biocore partnered to break out of the lab and onto the field. We created a one-of-a-kind outdoor biomechanics laboratory with in-turf force plates to measure motions, speeds and body loads in game-like settings and intensities.


With the support of the NFL and NFL Players Association and partnership with experts in human biomechanical studies at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, this collaboration provided the ability to quantify the cleat loads, turf interactions and movement patterns of the most elite football players in the world during sport-specific drills and game-like intensities.


Watch the full study overview here.

A: A collaboration with Exos’ Human Performance Lab expands research capacity, accelerates innovation, and moves sports and athletic footwear brands forward.  With our diverse database of study participants, from elite female and male athletes to general population, and real-world testing capabilities inclusive of force plates installed in our outdoor turf field, Exos is uniquely positioned to collect ground-truth data around footwear and turf interactions during field sport-specific movements at game speed.

Learn more about the Exos Human Performance Lab’s athletic footwear outsourced testing services here.

A: Exos’ range of research services for sensor validation include:

• Performance testing 
• Repeatability and reproducibility
• Calibration
• Reliability
• Failure analysis
• Pre-medical compliance testing
• Field testing
• Data validation

A: Exos’ Human Performance Lab provides end-to-end sensor validation services for wearable devices, biosensors and physical property sensors. Our research team assesses the accuracy of human performance sensors, ensuring they function effectively across diverse user demographics. Our testing methods include a range of physical activities—like running, machine-based exercises, and breathing exercises—performed under controlled conditions.

A: As a sensor developer, you understand the critical need to ensure sensors and algorithms perform as intended and reliably under a variety of conditions. Our sensor validation process includes verifying the sensor’s accuracy, consistency and functionality in real-world scenarios based on the intended audiences. Our goal is to provide third-party data supporting that your sensor functions properly, reliably and in compliance with industry standards or regulatory requirements.
See Our Sensor Validation Experience here.

A: Exos’ Human Performance Lab has designed and led research studies to evaluate and enhance wearable fitness and health technologies, focusing on their accuracy and effectiveness across diverse populations.

In one research study, Exos explored the use of continuous glucose monitors in non-diabetic individuals. The goal was to determine the glycaemic variability in a population of adults without a diagnosis of diabetes and develop predictive algorithms for glycaemic responses (how food or meals affect blood glucose levels) using CGM and non-CGM based signals.

See the full wearable tech study summary here.

A: Exos’ Human Performance Lab is dedicated to providing data and insights on product functionality, efficacy, safety, consumer perception and user experience to help companies develop, improve and drive adoption of their wellness and lifestyle products.

A: Many wellness programs simply offer an online resource for people to learn from. And the results aren’t great, with low participation and minimal change in body composition or lifestyle habits. This study by Exos’ Human Performance Lab aimed to show the difference that Exos provides: a combination of digital tools as well as an environment for people to get personalized guidance on movement, nutrition, and behavioral upgrades.

Click here to see the full study details of “WELL AT RISK” and see the results that answer the question: can a 10-week, proactive health intervention begin lowering the risk of serious health issues?

A: Our applied human performance research expertise includes a wide variety of consumer products, such as:

• Wearable tech: including devices, sensors, trackers and monitors
• Sleep, recovery and regeneration tools: including sleep trackers, grounding sheets, compression gear, braces and devices, foam rollers, massage guns, recovery gear
• Apparel and footwear: including moisture-wicking and temperature-regulating apparel, smart clothing, athletic footwear, sports cleats, recovery footwear
• Environmental enhancements: including lighting, acoustics, and related products

A: Exos’ applied research team focuses on studying, understanding and helping to improve human performance in real-world environments across specific contexts such as workplaces, sports, healthcare, or military operations. The goal of our applied human performance research is to help brands research, test and validate solutions that directly impact human well-being and efficiency.

Examples of our applied research includes:

• Cognitive Performance: Studying attention, decision-making, problem-solving, and learning in high-stress or complex environments.
• Physical Performance & Recovery: Examining areas like biomechanics, motor control, nutrition and hydration, and load and recovery.
• Stress and Resilience: Assessing the effects of mental or physical stress on performance and identifying ways to enhance resilience.
• Workplace Optimization: Improving productivity and performance, assessing ergonomics, and reducing injuries in occupational settings.

A: Exos’ Human Performance Lab partnered with Cigna Health for an intervention study to evaluate changes in pain management and associated costs. 

Access the Exos x Cigna Health Movement Quality & Pain Program report here to learn about the study objectives and a summary of the results from our research team.

A: The Exos Human Performance Lab is committed to ensuring that real people are the force behind innovation in the field. New studies are developed throughout the year as we test new technology. Find out about upcoming studies, events, products, and more by signing up here.