Many human health studies require complex equipment and unwieldy wiring to accurately measure bodily functions such as heart rate. In this age of smartphones and smartwatches, potential study participants may already own an iPhone which tracks steps and sleep or an Android watch with a sensitive accelerometer and continuous heart rate monitoring. Thus, the potential value of using these smart devices in health research has skyrocketed, touting benefits such as user familiarity, comfort, portability, and lower price points. As these devices improve and are able to collect higher quality data, they will continue to usher in a new era of health research.
My main project this year has been developing an Android application that enhances the infrastructure our team uses to collect data for studies using Android watches. Each study requires certain sensors to be activated and has a specific storage location for the data. Previously, this information had to be manually created and transferred onto the watch, and was difficult to change on the go without causing other issues. My application allows users to set and change the settings for a study on their Android mobile device and transfer the settings wirelessly to an Android watch. This companion application reduces the friction in conducting studies and will help the process become more efficient. Several features have been implemented, but there is much more functionality that can be added to improve the process further for our team and, in the future, other teams.