SERO

Accelerometers are sensors that measure the tilting motion and orientation of an object in space. Data obtained from highly precise and accurate accelerometers are used in medical fields to examine the level of activity of patients over time. Unfortunately, however, medical accelerometers are often bulky devices, inconvenient for everyday wear. For optimal results, the accelerometer must remain attached to the hip of a patient to reduce error induced by the free movement of the wrist of an individual apart from the overall physical activity of an individual. Yet, in addition to medical accelerometers, we commonly find accelerometers within the smartphones and wearables that many of us possess and carry around daily. A predominant downside to the utilization of accelerometers within smartphones and wearables can be attributed to the ability of these devices to move freely in ways that are not reflective of the overall physical activity on an individual, thereby introducing inaccurate readings which in turn lead to error. For example, it is possible to have an excessive movement of the wrist of a study participant while staying stationary, allowing the device to make an inaccurate reading of movement. Thanks to Global Positioning Systems (GPS) technology in smartphones and wearables, we can connect accelerometer data to geographical space using corresponding coordinate data. This coupling with GPS data provides us with the potential to account for the error induced by the free movement of the device. At the Spatial Energetics Research Organization (SERO), our team aims to exploit this potential.