A Sensor Mode is a predefined configuration for Empatica wearables that enables the device to focus on collecting the specific parameters that are key to your study. Each Sensor Mode determines which onboard sensors are active and at which sampling frequency, and therefore which raw high-frequency data and digital biomarkers you receive.
Sensor Modes are optimized to reach the best trade-off between three factors:
- Battery life: how long the device runs between charges
- Algorithm performance: the accuracy of Empatica's proprietary digital biomarkers
- Data volume: how much data is produced, stored on the device, and uploaded
Running every sensor at its maximum frequency at all times would drain the battery and fill the device memory quickly. Instead, each Sensor Mode dedicates the available battery and memory to the signals that matter most for a given type of research, so you get the highest possible data quality for your specific use case.
On top of this, every Sensor Mode is thoroughly tested against each release of our products to guarantee reliability and robustness.
Which Sensor Modes are available?
The following Sensor Modes are available across EmbracePlus and EmbraceMini. Availability, battery life, memory capacity, and the resulting set of raw data and digital biomarkers differ by device and by mode.
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Pulse Rate Pro Focuses on cardiac activity measures, such as Pulse Rate, Pulse Rate Variability, Interbeat Intervals (IBI), and Respiratory Rate. Not available on EmbraceMini. |
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Actigraphy Pro Includes Empatica's full range of Actigraphy-related digital biomarkers, plus raw sensor data measured at 64 Hz from the wearable accelerometer. |
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Actigraphy Optimized Optimized for Actigraphy studies using Empatica's full range of Actigraphy-related digital biomarkers, with an extended battery life compared to the Actigraphy Pro mode. |
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Gyroscope Max Includes Empatica's full range of Actigraphy-related digital biomarkers and IMU gyroscope raw data, for a full characterization of device movement. |
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Gyroscope 100 Optimized for Actigraphy studies that require the adoption of gyroscope data at 100 Hz. No activity biomarkers are computed in this configuration, but the raw data collected is compatible with the McRoberts and Mobilise-D libraries, which can be leveraged to compute the activity biomarkers. |
Sensor Mode comparison
The tables below list every Sensor Mode available for each device, with the expected battery duration and memory capacity in days, the sensors enabled and their sampling frequency, and the raw data and digital biomarkers produced.
EmbracePlus
EmbraceMini
Technical specifications
| Wearable | Pulse Rate Pro | Actigraphy Pro | Actigraphy Optimized | Gyroscope Max | Gyroscope 100 | |
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Battery duration (days) |
EmbracePlus | 2+ | 7+ | 14+ | 5+ | 5+ |
| EmbraceMini | N/A | 7+ | 14+ | 3+ | 3+ | |
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Memory capacity* (days) |
EmbracePlus | ~1.5 | ~7 | ~14 | ~5 | ~3 |
| EmbraceMini | N/A | ~7 | ~14 | ~2.5 | ~2.5 | |
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Data usage** (per month) |
EmbracePlus | ~6 GB | ~1.5 GB | ~1 GB | ~1.5 GB | ~2.5 GB |
| EmbraceMini | N/A | ~1.5 GB | ~1 GB | ~1.5 GB | ~1.5 GB |
* Duration of data recording when the Empatica wearable is not connected via Bluetooth®
** Amount of data uploaded from the smartphone to the Empatica Cloud
Raw data
| Pulse Rate Pro | Actigraphy Pro | Actigraphy Optimized | Gyroscope Max | Gyroscope 100 | |
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| Accelerometer |
64 Hz, ±16 g |
64 Hz, ±16 g |
32 Hz, ±16 g |
64 Hz, ±16 g |
100 Hz, ±16 g |
| Gyroscope | OFF | OFF | OFF |
64 Hz, ±2000 dps |
100 Hz, ±2000 dps |
| Ambient Light* | N/A | 1 Hz | 1 Hz | 1 Hz | 1 Hz |
| Skin Temperature** | 1 Hz | 1 Hz | 1 Hz | 1 Hz | 1 Hz |
| PPG** |
64 Hz (infrared, green and red, via 5 LEDs) |
4 Hz (infrared, via 1 LED) |
OFF | OFF | OFF |
| Electrodermal Activity (EDA)** | 4 Hz | 4 Hz | OFF | OFF | OFF |
* Only for EmbraceMini
** Only for EmbracePlus
Digital biomarkers
| Pulse Rate Pro | Actigraphy Pro | Actigraphy Optimized | Gyroscope Max | Gyroscope 100 | |
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| Pulse Rate |
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N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Pulse Rate Variability RMSSD |
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N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Respiratory Rate |
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N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| EDA - SCL** |
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N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Skin Temperature** |
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| Ambient Light* | N/A |
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| PPG-based Wearing Detection** |
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N/A | N/A | N/A |
| ACM-based Wearing Detection | N/A |
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| Activity Classification |
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N/A |
| Activity Counts |
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N/A |
| ACM Magnitude Standard Deviation |
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N/A |
| Step Counts |
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N/A |
| Activity Intensity |
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N/A |
| Body Position |
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N/A |
| Metabolic Equivalent of Task (METs) |
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N/A |
| Actigraphy Counts |
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N/A |
| Acticounts |
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N/A |
| Sleep Detection |
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N/A |
* Only for EmbraceMini
** Only for EmbracePlus
How is a Sensor Mode selected?
The Sensor Mode is selected by the researcher when creating the study in the Care Lab Portal. It applies to the whole account and to all participants and devices enrolled in it.
The Sensor Mode cannot be changed once the account has been created. If you need to collect data with a different Sensor Mode, you have to create a new account and configure it with the mode you need. For this reason, we recommend reviewing the comparison tables above and confirming which raw data and digital biomarkers your protocol requires before you create your study.
Note: Studies created before September 16th, 2026 run the Pulse Rate Pro Sensor Mode by default.
Choosing the right Sensor Mode
When deciding which Sensor Mode fits your study, consider:
- Which parameters are essential to your protocol? Start from the digital biomarkers and raw signals your endpoints depend on, and choose the mode that produces them.
- How long do participants need to wear the device between charges? Longer unattended monitoring periods, for example, multi-day home recordings, favor modes optimized for battery life.
- How often will the device be in range of the phone? Data is uploaded through the Care Lab app, so sync opportunities affect how quickly data appears on the Portal.
- Do you need high-frequency motion data? Gyroscope modes produce substantially more data and shorten recording time on the device.
Actigraphy Optimized: once-a-day data sync
The Actigraphy Optimized Sensor Mode is optimized for battery life, so the device syncs its data with the Care Lab app only once a day. As a result, the data shown on the Care Lab Portal and the data files available for download are also updated once a day, rather than continuously.
The daily sync happens provided that the device is within Bluetooth range of the paired phone and that the phone has an active internet connection. If these conditions are not met, the data remains stored on the device and is uploaded at the next successful sync.
Keep this in mind if your study relies on near real-time monitoring of participants, or if your study staff check the Portal daily to verify compliance: with Actigraphy Optimized, the most recent data may be up to 24 hours old.