Dataset of fitness trackers and smartwatches to measuring physical activity in research

BMC Res Notes. 2022 Jul 16;15(1):258. doi: 10.1186/s13104-022-06146-5.

Abstract

Objectives: Accelerometer-based wrist-worn fitness trackers and smartwatches (wearables) appeared on the consumer market in 2011. Many wearable devices have been released since. The objective of this data paper is to describe a dataset of 423 wearables released before July 2017.

Data description: We identified wearables and extracted information from six online and offline databases. We also visited websites for all identified companies/brands to identify additional wearables, as well as obtained additional information for each identified device. Twelve attributes were collected: wearable name, company/brand name, release year, country of origin, whether the wearable was crowd funded, form factor (fitness tracker or smartwatch), and sensors supported. Support for the following sensors were mapped: accelerometer, magnetometer, gyroscope, altimeter or barometer, global-positioning-system, and optical pulse sensor (i.e., photoplethysmograph). The search was conducted between May 15th and July 1st, 2017. The included data gives an overview of most in-scope wearables released before July 2017 and allows researchers to conduct additional analysis not performed in the related article. Further insights can be achieved by complementing this list with wearable models released after July 2017.

Keywords: Activity tracker; Heart rate; Motor activity; Photoplethysmography; Smart watch; Wearables.

MeSH terms

  • Exercise
  • Fitness Trackers*
  • Heart Rate
  • Wearable Electronic Devices*
  • Wrist