Steps: Comprehensive list of wearables that measure your steps

How do wearables track your steps?

An accelerometer is an electric sensor that measures the acceleration forces acting on an object, in order to determine the object's position in space and monitor the object's movement. Most wearable devices that track your steps utilise a built in accelerometer to keep track of your movements.

A wearable tracker continuously senses the movements of the body on a 3 axis accelerometer. As people walk or run, they bounce with each step and their head, torso and hips move in a synchronised fashion. Whilst most people don't bounce very far (often only a couple of centimetres), it is one of the clearest, most constant, and most recognisable parts of a person's walking acceleration signal. As we are walking on earth, the bounce is conventionally in the same direction as gravity and so a pedometer will count steps by counting the number of bounces in the direction of gravity.

Accelerometer sensors in these devices are known as MEMS sensors which measure acceleration by measuring the change in capacitance. When the device is subject to acceleration due to motion or gravity, moving plates within the sensor change their position between a set of fixed plates, therefore causing the capacitance between them to change. This change in capacitance is recorded whilst the tracker is worn and calculates if the individual is walking forward, running fast, or even standing still.

The data is stored in the tracker for processing which occurs when it's transferred to the software associated with the fitness tracker on the smartphone or laptop with which it is synced. This data is then collected and run through a personalised algorithm to give the most accurate measure of what the different movements mean.

Some of the more sophisticated models also come with a gyroscope to measure orientation and rotation and an altimeter to measure the altitude.

Step counters in these devices also have set rules including time windows and count regulations to ensure that invalid steps are discounted. For example, if we assume that people can run as rapidly as five steps per second or walk as slowly as one step every two seconds then the interval between two valid steps is defined as being in the time window [0.2 s to 2.0s]; all steps with intervals outside the time window would be discarded.

Why is it important to track our steps?

Over the years, many researchers have studied the ‘10,000-steps' number to see whether it holds weight. For some people, this target is acceptable but for others it might make more sense to aim lower or higher, depending on their base level of activity. For example, somebody who regularly only hits 3,000 steps historically may want to set a more realistic target of 6,000 steps, and work their way up from there. On the other hand, somebody who regularly exceeds 10,000 steps may aim for 15,000. The goal is to build on your base level. Of course, tracking your steps can translate into clear health benefits including increased physical activity and motivation to exercise, reduce anxiety and better mood, and improved glucose tolerance and blood sugar levels.

Some devices, such as the Garmin have a dynamic steps goal that shifts up or down depending on how many steps the user takes each day.

How can I improve my step count?

1. Build in a daily walk. If you have time, walking for 30–60 minutes a day will help you get closer to your goal
2. Take mini-walks. Some people like dividing their day into three parts (morning, afternoon, and evening) and committing to 10–15 minutes of walking in each part to achieve their goals
3. Take the stairs
4. Walk and talk. Take meetings on the go
5. Go to the office. When your home is also your office it can be difficult to fit in the steps.

Through the Terra API, we provide connections to a range of different devices so that your users can track their steps.

Below is a list of the wearables that track steps data today:

• Garmin Fenix series, Venu series, Lily, Approach, Vivoactive, Forerunner series, Instinct series, Enduro, Descent series, Mk2 series, Epix, Tactix series, D2 series, Vivomove series, Approach series, Vivofit, Marq series, Quatix series
• Fitbit Versa series, Charge series, Inspire 2, Sense, Luxe, Ace 3
• Apple Watch all series
• Polar Grit X Pro, Grit X, Ignite series, M430, Unite, Vantage series,
• Withings ScanWatch series, Steel HR, Move ECG
• Oura ring Gen 3, Gen 2
• Samsung Galaxy Watch all series, Galaxy Fit2
• Suunto 9 range, 7 range, 5 range, 5 peak, 3 range, Ambit3, Core range, Traverse
• Wahoo Elemnt Rival Multisport GPS watch
• Xiaomi Mi Watch