Every smart device with pedometer feature; It calculates for us how many steps we take during the day, how many floors we climb, and even how many calories we burn while doing them. Let’s take a look at how they do it.
Today, we use smartphones and smart devices for many purposes during the day. These devices, which are included in our lives and even change our way of life, contain many features. One of them is the pedometer feature. Any smartphone or wearable smart device; The user needs to specify physiological details such as weight, height, gender. This personalization helps to process the data generated by the device. In fact, pedometers have been used for a very long time. Pedometers, which were first used by cartographers for direction finding in the 1600s, have completely changed their function today. It is not known exactly who invented these devices, which have been on earth for such a long time. One of the scientists among the rumors that he may have invented the pedometer is Leonardo da Vinci.
How do smart watches count steps?
Smartphones and wearable technological devices continuously detect movements of the body in all directions through a 3-axis accelerometer. Data is always saved while the device is operating and being used by the user; this allows users to track whether they are walking, running fast or standing still. Devices save all this data for processing. The devices also work through a personalized algorithm, as it previously collects information about the user. Thus, we can access information such as how many calories we burned while walking or running or how many floors we climbed. Devices generate more information based on these details, as they also classify movements by type. As an example of this information, we can give the user’s average heart rate while walking, the oxygen level in the blood and the user’s pace, varying from device to device. Today, the altimeter, with which you can calculate your height, the height of the mountains you climb, or even the number of stairs you go up and down during the day, is also in most smart watches and wristbands.
The engineering behind a single step counted
Military grade accelerometers are used in most smartwatches/wristbands and phones. The data coming to these accelerometers calculates the motion forces of the user. The calculated power is then converted to MET, a parameter called Metabolic Equivalent. The unit called MET is customized according to the characteristics of the person such as height, weight and gender. Thus, it becomes easier to find the number of steps over the MET value. The equation for the accelerometer is very simple. When you generate the required MET for a step, your pedometer counts 1 step for you. The collected data is then translated into steps and activity, and from these, calories and sleep quality, but some guesswork is made along the way. The devices we use today work much smoother and more stable than the pedometer used in the past.
Thanks to pedometer sensors, smart wristbands process a lot of information
The pedometer feature on smart wristbands and watches is mainly used for fitness purposes. For this reason, it helps you monitor your smart device’s activities. Smart wristbands and watches also help you reach your regular exercise activity goal, burn a certain number of calories during the day, and even set goals such as drinking water as much as your body needs. When smart device users who want to lose weight enter this information on their device, smart wristbands, watches and phones send the message that they consume less calories than they can burn during the day and calculate the amount of exercise required during the day. People can be motivated by the data recorded by the device while reaching the goals they set.
Smart watches also contribute to scientific research
With smart watches and wristbands, which are used by individuals and have access to most of their own information, users can also help research studies conducted on large numbers of people. While a large number of people cannot be accommodated in an experiment or research, with the data of people using smart watches and wristbands, researchers have the opportunity to examine the data collected for a much larger target group. Although the sensors inside them are not 100 percent reliable, the data of people using smartwatch and wristband devices can make it easy to collect large amounts of data for research. Smart watches and wristbands have the potential to revolutionize the conduct of advanced scientific conditioning studies.
