New Garmin muscle-related feature could be on the way

A new Garmin feature, Muscle Battery, appears to be on the way. This unreleased functionality was recently spotted in a US Trademark registration filed at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in mid-February 2026 with serial number 99661177. 

In the trademark filing, Garmin’s Muscle Battery is described as a software feature which “captures, processes, and analyzes muscle oxygen saturation or related sports performance metrics using special algorithms”. The company also notes that this feature would be “sold as an integral component of personal electronic devices, namely wearable fitness trackers, smartwatches, and health monitoring devices”.

However, it is likely that the Garmin Muscle Battery feature would require dedicated hardware, like a near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) sensor, to measure muscle oxygen saturation (SmO2). This type of sensor is not currently available on any Garmin wearable, pointing to an entirely new product. It is also worth noting that such a sensor must be placed directly on the group of muscles for which the user wishes to measure the oxygen saturation. This suggests that the sensor would not be included on an upcoming Garmin smartwatch, though measurements could be displayed on a watch. It is also unlikely that this sensor is part of the hotly anticipated CIRQA smart band, as this was described as a wrist-worn device in a leaked product listing earlier in 2026.

There have been other hints that Garmin is researching customer interest in muscle-related metrics. In a recent strength training related survey, the company mentioned multiple “concept ideas” linked to muscles, such as a Neuromuscular Readiness Score, a Muscle map for recovery and Acute Strength Load. It is unclear whether or when Garmin could release a new wearable bringing this Muscle Battery feature to its customer base. At the time of writing, the trademark is still pending.