Exploratory evaluation of an AR-based functional assessment platform in healthy young adults: cross-sectional associations with muscle strength and pulmonary function

Background Augmented reality (AR)-based exercise systems can automatically quantify task performance; however, evidence linking AR-derived metrics with conventional clinical measures remains limited. Objective To explore associations between AR-derived functional task performance and conventional clinical measures in healthy young adults. Methods Thirty healthy young adults completed four AR-based tasks: shuttle run (SR), on-the-spot running (OSR), side jump (SJ), and standing long jump (SLJ). Performance was captured using a LiDAR-based sensing system. Clinical assessments included sit-to-stand tests, pulmonary function, respiratory muscle strength, hand grip strength, body composition, and isometric quadriceps strength. Correlation and regression analyses examined associations between AR-derived outcomes and clinical measures. Additional multivariable analyses for SLJ adjusted for sex and height. Results SLJ showed the broadest pattern of associations with clinical measures. After adjustment, SLJ remained significantly associated with 1-min sit-to-stand performance, percent-predicted forced vital capacity, hand grip strength, skeletal muscle mass index, skeletal muscle mass, lower limb muscle mass, and Biodex peak torque. Associations with absolute pulmonary function measures, respiratory muscle strength, and FEV 1 /FVC were attenuated after adjustment. SR and OSR showed limited associations with selected measures, whereas SJ showed no significant associations. Conclusion In healthy young adults, AR-derived SLJ performance showed the most consistent cross-sectional associations, primarily with muscle-related measures. Its association with percent-predicted forced vital capacity also remained significant after adjustment. These findings are hypothesis-generating and should not be interpreted as evidence of technical or clinical validation of the AR-based platform. Trial Registration: This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Pusan National University Hospital (IRB No. 2505–024–151) and registered with the Clinical Research Information Service (CRIS; KCT0010729).