Fitbit Focuses on Stress Biometrics in New Fitness Tracker

Amid a pandemic that has a lot of people feeling stressed out, Fitbit has announced a timely new offering: Fitbit Sense, its most sophisticated fitness tracking wristband yet, with trailblazing technology aimed at tracking users’ stress.

Its the first smartwatch device to feature a built-in electrodermal activity (EDA) sensor, which can detect minute electrical changes in the sweat level of the user’s skin. That, in turn, can offer metrics pertaining to stress.

A user can put their palm on the face of the device to activate the EDA Scan app at a given moment, or they can pair it with “guided mindfulness sessions” designed to let the device track how the body responds to meditation and deliberate relaxation.

Fitbit is also introducing a new Stress Management Score that is designed to assess the user’s response to stress based on a combination of metrics including heart rate and sleep activity, as well as electrodermal activity.

These features could prove highly appealing in the commercial marketplace at a time when consumers face daily uncertainty about the progression and effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, not to mention a US presidential election that is being closely watched around the world.

Other features of the Fitbit Sense include a new ECG app, an on-wrist skin temperature sensor, and an SpO2 sensor. Fitbit says the device has a battery life of over six days, and it comes with a free trial of Fitbit Premium, which offers more detailed fitness data.

The device was announced alongside other new offerings from Fitbit, including Fitbit Versa 3, a wearable device featuring fitness tracking sensors, GPS, and Google Assistant; and Fitbit Inspire 2, a fitness tracker with improved battery life compared to the previous iteration.

(Originally posted on Mobile ID World)