Tools for quantifying yourself

June 21, 2011 | Source: Technology Review

Zeo Personal Sleep Coach (credit: Zeo Inc.)

New wireless devices and smartphones apps let users track every facet of their physical and mental health.

  • Zeo Personal Sleep Coach allows people to track their sleep cycles over time.
  • BodyMedia armband calculates the number of calories burned throughout the day based on data from an embedded accelerometer, skin temperature sensor, and a skin conductance sensor.
  • fitbit uses an accelerometer to give the wearer an estimate of his or her activity level and calories burned during a day.
  • Withings scale measures a user’s weight, body fat, and body mass index (BMI) and automatically uploads them on a smartphone.
  • Duo fertility monitor detects the temperature increase that precedes ovulation and wirelessly sends the information to a base station.
  • Q-sensor by Affectiva records galvanic skin response, a proxy for stress, excitement, and attention.
  • MoodScope is a website for measuring, tracking, and sharing a user’s mood.