SmartSocks®DISCOVERY
Real-time physiological data capture for researchers
SmartSocks®DISCOVERY is a physical and physiological data collection platform for researchers studying aspects of human and brain health. Developed with support from Alzheimer’s Society, the UK’s leading dementia charity, DISCOVERY simplifies the collection of objective physiological, activity, and gait data from research participants with a neurological or neurodevelopmental disorder, including dementia, severe autism, learning disability, or acquired brain injury.
The socks are designed to overcome barriers these populations sometimes face when using conventional wrist-worn wearable devices, including:
- Usability issues, stemming from small, fiddly touchscreens and complicated user interfaces.
- Tolerability issues, where wrist-worn devices cause irritation leading to fidgeting and frequent removal.
- Acceptability issues, where individuals may feel stigmatised by the device.
SmartSocks®DISCOVERY gathers real-time data on pulse rate and pulse rate variability, electrodermal activity, skin temperature, and movement/gait. The socks are comfortable and machine washable at 30°C.
SmartSocks®DISCOVERY is relevant for other areas of research, including movement science, stress research, and sleep physiology.
Why socks?
SmartSocks® is designed to be more usable and better tolerated by people with a neurological disorder than a conventional wrist-worn device. It adopts a sock form factor which is comfortable, familiar, and unintrusive for the wearer. The medial arch is also a superior location for measuring electrodermal activity than the wrist, meaning SmartSocks® can ascertain physiological arousal more accurately than a wrist-worn device.
How they work
SmartSocks®DISCOVERY gathers real-time physiological data on electrodermal activity (EDA), pulse rate (PR) and pulse rate variability (PRV), skin temperature, and movement/gait.
The active sock in each pair incorporates a sensor unit with a photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor, an infrared (IR) thermopile, an electrodermal activity (EDA) sensor, and a 6-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU).
The data are transmitted over Wi-Fi and displayed on the SmartSocks®DISCOVERY dashboard. They can be downloaded to a CSV file for offline analysis
Research Applications
SmartSocks®DISCOVERY supports research across a wide range of domains:
Key features
SmartSocks®DISCOVERY includes the following key features:
- Sock & Sensor
- Over 16 hour battery life, rechargeable via USB-C charger (full charge in approximately 8 hours).
- Wi-Fi connectivity (802.11 b/g/n, 2.4GHz).
- 16GB of persistent storage for buffering data during roaming and in case of Wi-Fi connection loss.
- Padded sole, flat toe seams, and gentle “honeycomb” cuffs provide comfort and safety for people with fragile skin and swollen ankles.
- Breathable moisture-wicking yarns.
- Machine washable at 30°C (sensor unit in active sock is water-resistant but should be removed for washing).
- Each pair includes one active and one inactive sock. Both socks are colour and size matched
- SmartSocks® Cloud Services
- Collection and storage of sensor data
- Web dashboard for sock status, data visualisation and CSV download.
- API access for programmatic integration with other software systems.
- Support & Warranty
- 9-5 (UK) technical support and access to online support site.
- 12-month warranty on sensor unit.
Benefits for researchers
SmartSocks®DISCOVERY has significant advantages over alternative data collection methodologies:
- Familiarity and comfort for research participants resulting in minimal distress and higher levels of compliance.
- Wireless data collection enables freedom of movement and scope in experimental design.
- Broad spectrum of data-points, accurately captured in real-time.
- Easy to use with minimal training.
- Easy to use dashboard enabling easy downloading of data for analysis.
- API integration enables custom workflows and data pipelines to be built.
- All elements are reusable including socks with no single-use disposable items.
- Data quality equal to or exceeding wrist-worn devices — validated against gold-standard ECG, thermocouple probe, GSR sensor, and gait pressure mat, with pulse rate accurate to within 5 bpm.
Benefits for research participants
SmartSocks® have been demonstrated to have significant advantages over alternative devices and methodologies:
- Comfortable and lightweight.
- Easy to use and well-tolerated.
- Offline data capture allows for trips away from base station.
Ordering
SmartSocks®DISCOVERY is sold as a kit comprising machine-washable pairs of SmartSocks®, removable sensors for continuous data collection, a USB-C charger, and a laundry bag.
Available as a Starter kit (2 sock pairs, 1 sensor) or Full kit (5 sock pairs, 2 sensors).
SmartSocks®DISCOVERY is available in two sizes — XS (UK3-5) and MM (UK9-11) — in white and grey.
SmartSocks®DISCOVERY is not a medical device. The Sensor, Charger, Socks and Dashboard are not intended for use as medical devices or to replace medical devices. They do not and are not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, alleviate or monitor disease, injury or disability or investigate, replace or modify the anatomy or any physiological process.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Take the sensor off the charger.
- Wait a few seconds until the green LED on the base of the sensor turns on and then off again.
- Put the sensor back on the charger. The LED will flash white while it starts up, then turn solid blue.
Solid blue means the sensor is in setup mode and broadcasting its SmartSocks hotspot.
The sensor is fully charged and has gone to sleep. Lift it off the charger and place it back on to wake it up.
Give it up to 30 seconds to start collecting data. If the LED still isn’t flashing green (or green/blue), put the sensor back on the charger, then insert it into the sock again.
The hotspot is only available while the sensor is in setup mode. Check that the LED is solid blue. If it isn’t, follow the steps in “How do I put the sensor into setup mode?”
The list only shows the five strongest networks in range. If yours isn’t there, you can type the network name in manually.
No. The sensor has 1 GB of built-in storage and keeps recording when it’s out of Wi-Fi range. Stored data is uploaded automatically once it reconnects. You’ll see the LED flash blue while this happens.
They are the three axes of the sensor’s motion unit, fixed relative to the sensor as it sits in the sock.
X runs vertically along the leg (–X points down towards the foot). Y runs horizontally across the face of the sensor. Z points straight out from the face of the sensor.
Linear acceleration is measured along each axis; angular velocity is the rate of rotation around each axis.
Data is sent over Wi-Fi to the SmartSocks®DISCOVERY dashboard, where you can check sensor status, view your data and download it as a CSV file. An API is also available if you want to pull data into your own software.
A full charge takes around 8 hours and gives over 14 hours of use.
Yes. Remove the sensor first, then machine wash the socks at 30°C. The sensor is water-resistant but should not go in the washing machine.
SmartSocks®DISCOVERY comes in two sizes, S (UK 3–6) and M/L (UK 7–11), in white or grey.
Yes. You can download the UKCA and EU Declarations of Conformity from the Documentation section on this page.
DISCOVERY is a research kit. It gives researchers direct access to raw physiological and movement data, without any interpretation or alerts.
COMFORT is a care product currently in development. It is designed to alert caregivers to changes in wellbeing, and uses a sensor around a quarter of the size of the DISCOVERY sensor.
Our research partners
