Basic band: Wristwear tracks your heart rate

The Basis band works by directing light into the skin to measure blood flow. It also has five temperature and galvanic skin sensors that gather information on activity, stress, sleep and sweat patterns, and can tell whether sweating is caused by room temperature, exercise or stress. It can also detect whether you are sleeping, unlike other heart tracking devices that require the user to press a button between sleep and activity. The band transfers the data it collects to your computer, and it is then analysed using the Basis dashboard software.

Speaking to LS:N Global at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show, where the Basis band was launched, Basis founder Nadeem Kassam said: ‘The heart rate provides the foundation to understanding health. The Basis band is the first device that gives you a round-the-clock picture of your lifestyle, the amount of stress you are under and how that relates to your heart beat.’

For more about how people are tracking their personal data to improve their health and happiness, read our Self-Quants tribes report.