Digital Pedometers
Using the detection of a person’s hips, a step counter or a pedometer can count the number of steps a person takes. It is usually electronic and hence is called a digital pedometer and is quite portable as well. Although it was originally used by athletes and physical fitness enthusiasts, it is now used by the general public as a measure of the degree of their exercise and occasionally as a symbol of motivation for them. It is usually worn on the belt and can thus be easily kept with a person all day. If this is done, a person can thus find out not only the total number of steps that he has taken in an entire day but also has an idea of the total distance he has covered, which for convenience, is usually provided in kilometers or miles.
Among its downsides, there are some pedometers which can mistakenly record movements other than walking and this of course, can give a faulty result to the user. For instance, if a person is to bend down while walking for some purpose or the other, the pedometer may record that as a step taken. However, some of the most advanced digital pedometers that are found in the market today make very few of these errors and thus are quite reliable.
What does it consist of?
Conventionally, the technology for a digital pedometer usually consists of a mechanical sensor with a built-in application which measures the number of steps taken. Modern digital pedometers usually use much more advanced technology in the form of MEMS inertial sensors. Thanks to these, it is possible that a person gets quite accurate results since this device ensures that the pedometer does not take movements other than walking into its records.
How accurate is it?
The problem of accuracy still remains the major area of doubt for users and potential users who want nothing short of a perfect reading of the distance they have covered during a particular interval of time. The device works best when a person is moving at a walking pace and the surface he is walking on is quite flat. One previous problem related to accuracy is that step counters used to give very wrong readings if it was placed at an odd angle rather than its ideal position on the belt. However, recent progresses have ensured that it can give good results even if it is not placed in the ideal position. At the same time, even these effective ones make mistakes when a person is driving or makes other instinctive motions and another factor which may affect the accuracy is the length of the step the user enters into the meter. It can be said that the most effective digital pedometers usually give a result which is about 95% accurate.
Some devices with in-built digital pedometers
Apple’s iPod Nano has this very useful feature of an integrated digital pedometer. Nike and iPod offers an exclusive package which is known as the “Nike + iPod sports kit”. This particular product has a shoe sensor which works together with an mp3 player and provides the user information related to how much distance in how much time he has covered. The Nokia 5500 sports phone also features a digital pedometer. It consists of the MEMS inertial sensor in order to detect the total number of steps a user takes. The problem with this device is that its battery will be drained out if the pedometer is kept on for too long. These are the central points that a person interested in purchasing a digital pedometer needs to keep in mind.
