Stress in Action Wearables Database App

Papers to Cite

Welcome to the SiA Wearables Database Web App

The Stress in Action Wearables Database (SiA-WD) is a new, comprehensive, well-sustained database of physiological wearable devices that have application potential in behavioral research, in particular stress research. It provides a large amount of information that a researcher would look for such as the general device information, recorded signals, technical specifications and data access, combined with a systematic validity, reliability and usability review of the available literature on a device.

The SiA-WD will be iteratively expanded and the information, including that for devices already existing in the database, updated for an period of at least ten years. The user-friendly tool enables researchers to conveniently select the most suitable wearable for their study.

54 Wearables included
see the sidebar at the top right corner for an overview of
wearables and glossary.

User Guide

Terms of citation

When using the wearables database and/or this web app, you must cite the two papers listed under Papers to Cite and/or Research .

Using this app

Go to the Filters section to explore wearables based on your criteria.

Use the Product Filter to compare multiple wearables side-by-side.

Use the Feature Filter to select wearables based on capabilities and preferences.

For terminology, open the menu in the top right corner and browse the Glossary .

If you have new data to add, visit the Submit Data section.

Research provides background information about the database and the two papers.

The About section describes Stress in Action (the project funding this database) and lists the team and institutions involved.

Questions? Reach out via Contact Us .

Recent Updates

September 2025
Live release.

August 2025
Tables updated with bars, yes/no and color coded cells.

July 2025
60 wearables still to be tested.

June 2025
54 wearables included in App.

May 2025
Stress in Action wearables database paper published!

March 2025
Feature Filter live.

February 2025
Product Filter live.

January 2025
Test version (MVP) live.

Summary of the Research

Why Needed?

• Rapid growth of available consumer and research-oriented wearables

• To systematically choose a wearable among the multitude of available devices, one should perform:

o Get a detailed overview of technical and other device specific information

o Retrieve synopsis of Reliability, Validity and Usability studies per wearable

To reduce the time and effort required to choose the appropriate wearable, the Stress in Action Wearables Database provides this detailed overview.

Literature Research

Device-specific information was obtained from the device manual, while reliability, validity, and usability were assessed through a structured literature search (click SiA gauge) using the following string:

“((Device Name) AND (valid* OR reliab* OR compar* OR accur* OR verif* OR usab* OR 'user experience' OR 'user friend*' OR user-friend*)”.

Included studies assessed parameter-level convergent validity, test-retest reliability, and/or usability, focused on convergent validity, and were published as peer-reviewed articles or conference proceedings in English. Excluded were studies on construct validity only, those involving machine learning-based detection of secondary outcomes, meta-analyses, reviews, theses, grey literature, and any non-peer-reviewed texts.

SiA Expert Scoring

Different criteria were rank-ordered in importance by the curators to score a device for short-term (2-day) and long-term (2+ week) research use.

Based on these criteria (click SiA gauge), each device was independently scored from 0 to 10 by the three first co-authors, who were blinded to each other's scores; these scores were then averaged to generate the short- and long-term "SiA expert scores."

High interrater reliability was achieved for both short-term (r = .87, 95% CI = [.78, .92], F(50, 100) = 8.0, p < .001) and long-term use (r = .85, 95% CI = [.76, .91], F(50, 100) = 6.6, p < .001).

Continuously Updated Database

In contrast to the wearable inventories or review studies with a static document, the SiA wearables database will be continuously updated every 6 months. This enables the entry of newly released wearables and updating of the validity, reliability, and usability information on existing wearables.

Behavior Research Methods: Original Paper

Download PDF

Journal of Open Source Software Paper: Shiny App Details

Coming soon

Stress in Action

Stress in Action capitalizes on the fast advances in technology and big data analytics to move stress research from the lab to daily life. The Consortium enables synergistic collaborations to discover 1) how responses to daily life stress arise from the temporal, dynamic interplay between context and person-specific factors (RT1), 2) how daily life stress can be reliably measured in a specific individual in real-time (RT2) , and 3) how and when potential beneficial stress-response mechanisms turn into detrimental effects on mental and cardiometabolic health. This enables the development of novel monitoring and intervention strategies to track and reduce daily life stress and its health impact (RT3).

Partners

App Maintenance

This application is a publication of the department of Biological Psychology at the VU Amsterdam Amsterdam.

Hugo Klarenberg, PhD - Post Doc VU Amsterdam

Faculty of Behavioural and Human Movement Sciences
Department of Biological Psychology
Van der Boechorststraat 7
1081 BT Amsterdam
Email: disc[at]stress-in-action.nl
Website: Department of Biological Psychology

We kindly ask you to report bugs or function requests via email.

Image Credits

All background images used in this application are sourced from iStock under a paid license.

Photographer:
Daniel de la Hoz

Website: iStock profile

Research Theme 2 (RT2) Wearabale Team

The goal of RT2 is to develop increasingly sophisticated versions of a cutting-edge, low-burden, ecologically valid ambulatory assessment toolkit to quantify stress in daily life, and to design, test, and iteratively improve stress interventions using that toolkit.

Myrte Schoenmakers, PhD student VU Amsterdam

Melisa Saygin, PhD student VU Amsterdam

Magdalena Sikora, PhD student University of Twente

Artemis Stefani, PhD - Post Doc VU Amsterdam

Matthijs Noordzij, Professor in Health Psychology and Technology University of Twente

Eco de Geus, Professor of Biological Psychology VU Amsterdam

Contact Us

Feel free to contact us with any questions about the project!

Name *

Email *

Telephone

Institution

Message *

Wearables
Glossery

A

Accelerometer
—

Additional software
Additional software available (e.g., for analysis purposes).

B

Battery life
Maximum battery life as specified by the manufacturer (in hours). Note: this is the maximum; enabling detailed recording (e.g., continuous EDA or raw data) can significantly reduce battery life.

Bio-cueing
Options to cue users based on their physiology, as described by the manufacturers (e.g., vibrations, stress notifications, sound alerts).

Bio-feedback
Access users get into their physiology (e.g., via device display).

BP — Blood Pressure
Blood pressure.

C

CE approval/label
Device has been assessed to meet EU market regulations. Devices officially sold to European clients need CE marking.

Charging duration
Time needed (in minutes) to fully recharge the battery.

Charging method
The method by which the device's battery is replenished.

Compatibility
System compatibility of the device (both mobile and computer).

D

Data transfer method
All methods of transferring the data from the device to a computer or a mobile phone.

Device name
Name of the device.

Device costs
One-time purchase price and additional costs (e.g., subscription, software needed to operate the device, discount options, etc.).

Device storage capacity
Hours and/or size of data that can be recorded and stored internally, as specified by the manufacturer. If a range is given, the maximum values are specified. Storage hours may vary with changes in sampling frequencies.

Dividers/Notes
—

E

ECG — Electrocardiogram
Electrocardiogram.

EDA — Electrodermal Activity
Also known as Galvanic Skin Response.

EMG — Electromyography
Electromyography.

F

FDA approval/clearance
Device (or its components) has/have been FDA-approved or cleared.

G

GDPR compliance
Compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation. Beware of uncertainties (e.g., hosting in the USA claiming GDPR compliance). Researchers must determine the final verdict.

General usability synthesis
Short synthesis of the usability results of reviewed studies (includes user experience/friendliness and adherence).

General validity and reliability synthesis
Short synthesis of validity/reliability results across all parameters studied.

GPS — Global Positioning System
Global Positioning System.

Gyroscope
Note: accelerometers and gyroscopes are often combined in an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit).

H

Highest level of validation evidence
External is regarded as the highest level, followed by internal, and lastly no validation.

Hyperlink to the device RVU page
Link to the device’s RVU sheet (use the device name as the display text).

I

ICG — Impedance Cardiography
Impedance cardiography.

Internal storage method
Availability and method of internal data storage.

J

K

L

Last updated
Date at which information on a given device was last updated.

Location
Where the device is worn (e.g., wrist, chest). May differ from the recording location.

M

Main use
Primary intended setting the device was developed for (usually listed on website/manual).

Manufacturer
Name of the manufacturer.

Market status
Current — available for purchase; Discontinued — no longer sold/supported; Upcoming — soon to be available.

Most recent date of RVU search
Date of the most recent RVU search for a device.

N

Number of usability studies reviewed
Count of usability studies included (use 0 if none).

Number of validity and reliability studies reviewed
Total number of validity, reliability and usability studies included for the device.

O

On other signals
—

Other signals
All other signals the device can record which are not listed above. Separate using ‘;’.

P

Parameter sampling window
The window over which each parameter is calculated (e.g., 1 min to 1 day).

PPG — Photoplethysmography
Photoplethysmography.

Provided parameters
Processed data that can be exported. Systems may filter/average over large time windows—check computation details before use.

Q

R

Raw data available
Whether signal-level data can be recorded and exported for analysis.

Release date
Official market release date of the device.

Respiration
Respiration and how it is derived (e.g., via ICG or PPG; specify under method).

Required software
Software required to record and/or extract the data.

RVU — Related fields
—

S

Server data storage
Data stored on external servers (and their location). Often unclear—may require direct inquiry.

SiA long-term usefulness score
Average perceived usefulness for future long-term SiA studies (assessed by three authors).

SiA short-term usefulness score
Average perceived usefulness for future short-term SiA studies (assessed by three authors).

Size
Device dimensions (mm): Length × Width × Height, or Diameter × Height for round objects. Rings use US ring sizes (e.g., 4–10).

Skin Temp — Skin Temperature
Skin temperature.

Studied parameters
List of parameters included across all reviewed studies.

Support notes
—

T

Data transfer method
All methods of transferring data from device to computer or phone.

Water resistance (see also ‘Testing standards’)
Depth (m) and time (min). Different naming standards exist (ATM, ISO, IEC). We standardize to meters/minutes. ATM-to-meters is based on static pressure; real-world dynamic pressure can exceed ratings (e.g., 3 ATM = 30 m = splash only).

Weight
Device weight (grams), whole numbers (decimals rounded).

Water resistance
See ‘T — Water resistance’.

Papers to Cite

Welcome to the SiA Wearables Database Web App

User Guide

Recent Updates

Product Filter

Comparison Table

Feature Filter

SiA Expert Score

General Device Information

Technical Specifications

Signals

Data Access

Validation, Reliability & Usability

Filtered Results

1. Draft Form

Your Information