How do wearable fitness trackers measure steps?
If you are a fitness freak, no doubt you have a fitness tracking device. It must be wearable and portable, proof that a fitness tracker becomes an indispensable gadget for a healthy thrashing individual. Starting from the measurement of your step counts to monitoring your heart rate and sleep pattern, etc., everything on your tracking band that sits quietly on your wrist brings the renaissance to the world of technology. But the question arises: how do these wearable fitness trackers perform these functions on the spur of the moment?
The article is turning to solve the mystery of what fitness trackers are and how wearable fitness trackers measure steps.
Wearable Fitness trackers and their mechanisms;
It is a technical gadget that is used to keep track of the different body parameters of an individual who wears it in a day.
As in the older days, a weighted mechanical switch and simple counter were invented to do the step count, but these devices are obsolete with the advent of MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical system) sensors. In addition, suitable software with these sensors permits a more efficient and accurate step count. With their power pack advantages like low cost, minimal space, etc., it is being integrated into all fitness trackers, smartwatches, and smartphones too.
Wearable fitness trackers follow a mechanism in which sensors measure several parameters like acceleration, frequency, distance, and intensity, and then this measured data is put through a complex algorithm to get the most accurate readings.
Operations Follow in Steps Count;
To count the steps, the wearable fitness trackers have a device named an accelerometer. It has sensors and processors. With the help of a sensor (MEMS), an accelerometer can detect changes in acceleration and orientation. It can detect acceleration in three axes (the x-axis, the y-axis, and the z-axis).
Any motion in these three axes differs depending on whether you are walking or running, but in these parameters, it is registered in a device. For a better understanding of its operation, keep in mind Newton’s third law of motion: when your feet apply some force to the ground, the ground, in reaction, also imparts an equal amount of force through your feet into your body. This is the force that is stored in the accelerometer. Here we can see the work of the processor because the accelerometer itself has no awareness of the step, but it is the processor who recognizes the imparting information of repeating patterns in frequency and amplitude. Once the pattern is established and identified, the device begins to count it as a step.
Other than accelerometers, gyro meters, and magnetometers are also used in fitness tracking devices, to measure the rotational movement, strength, and direction of the magnetic field respectively. Global positioning system-enabled fitness trackers can also detect steps by measuring the distance traveled. The data provided by these sensors help to achieve more precision in step counts.
Algorithmic cognizance for the step counter;
To better understand the algorithm, we divide it into two phases: in the first phase, the linear acceleration data is collected by an accelerometer, and in the second phase, the step length is detected, which differs from step to step. So the algorithm depends on the speed and distance of an individual’s steps.
The continuous update in the logic of the algorithm implied the max and min values of acceleration for a specific number of steps in all 3 axes. Therefore, the average value of acceleration is called the dynamic threshold level. The accuracy of the step is determined with the help of the threshold level. For example, if we take 50 steps as a sample, the updated acceleration level for every 50 steps is called the dynamin threshold. Along with this, more sensors are used to do further filtration. When linear movement is registered, the dynamin threshold is there to decide whether the step is effective or not.
Now the step counter comes into action and measures the step in all three axes (x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis). The analysis depends on, the change in the length of the step in a particular axis; if the variation is too small, the acceleration is discarded from the step counter.
As in the aforementioned algorithm, the step counter is working effectively, but in the case of the pedometer, any activity except running and walking is considered a step. That’s why a pedometer is not always accurate, but to reduce the error in getting a valid step count, a time window and count regulation are the best solutions. It discarded the invalid vibrations and helped to get a smooth and rhythmic pattern.
Efficient Step Trackers:
If you want to keep track of your step counts, calories burned, and physical activities, then you have to tie your laces and invest in an accurate fitness tracker.
Here I am going to discuss some of the most efficient step trackers:
The Fitbit Charge 5 is the most advanced fitness and health tracker band. The tracker is equipped with GPS and loaded with all the necessary sensors to give you accurate step tracking, skin temperature, and heart rate monitoring, which give key insight into your health activity.
The Fitbit Inspire 2 falls into the category of budget picks but is still feature-rich. It is a good choice if you are interested in fitness and want a device with an exact tracker.
The Garmin Vivo Active 4s is a worthwhile smartwatch for fitness enthusiasts. It is smaller in size but better for tracking workouts in terms of tracking its stats and reliability, regardless of any doubts.
The Apple Watch SE is a worthy smartwatch for fitness cred; the wearable has a load of features like counting your steps, heart rate monitoring, and a health and fitness tracker.
In this era of hi-tech life, people become more conscious of their health and fitness and demand a related device without any technical intervention. As the fitness tracker carries some doubt in data collection, people become very conscious of knowing how the wearable fitness tracker measures steps without any error. Therefore, the fitness tracking device industry is booming day by day and bringing advancements with the more prudent style of sensors, which give dynamic precision of step counts with other activity monetarization. It needs a lot more than that, but undoubtedly, those are the very broad strokes.
