Person with a fitness tracker on the wrist tying running shoes outdoors

Building block

Building block – Datico® Wearable Bluetooth

Your wearable data comes straight to you – without a detour via the manufacturer’s cloud.

How the data flows

Straight from the wearable into your database – without the manufacturer cloud

  1. Wearable Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
  2. Datico® Life App on the smartphone, also offline
  3. Datico® Life Hub your database, hosted in Germany
  4. Your team dashboards and reports

Manufacturer cloud bypassed

A path entirely of your own: the data never leaves your area of responsibility.

The problem

With conventional wearable integrations, the manufacturer’s cloud determines how and where the data is processed. Every person needs an account with the manufacturer, and you have little say over storage location and data flow. For studies, hospitals and security-critical environments, this is often a deal-breaker.

The solution

With Datico® Wearable Bluetooth, the wearable sends its data via Bluetooth directly to the Datico® Life App on the smartphone. From there it travels, encrypted, into the Datico® Life Hub and your own database. A fully independent route under your control, without a manufacturer cloud.

Example

In the MEXT project at the Bundeswehr University Munich, an app developed by Datico® on this basis captures data from several Polar wearables around the clock in high resolution, as a data basis for seizure research.

How Datico® Wearable Bluetooth works

The wearable transmits its measurement data via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) directly to the Datico® Life App, which runs as a native app for iOS and Android on the participants’ smartphones. The app automatically assigns the data to the right profile and transfers it, encrypted, to the Datico® Life Hub. Data is captured in real time or with a delay: if there is no internet connection, the app collects the data and synchronises it as soon as the connection is restored. In the same app, participants answer questionnaires at defined points in time and see the results their supervising professional has released. This creates a closed loop between device, person and professional, with no third party in between.

Wearables without a manufacturer cloud: data protection and data sovereignty

Because the data does not pass through the manufacturer’s platform, the manufacturer account, the manufacturer’s terms of use and the question of transfers to third countries all fall away for this route. The data travels from the device via the Datico® Life App into your own separate database in the Datico® Life Hub. It is held on servers in Germany, transfer runs over TLS 1.2 or higher, and Datico® concludes a data processing agreement under Art. 28 GDPR with every customer. For higher requirements, operation in your own infrastructure is also possible. You obtain consent via double opt-in, with time and scope documented and revocable at any time. For studies, pseudonymisation in line with the study protocol is possible.

Which wearables and sensors can be connected

Bluetooth Low Energy is the most widespread wireless standard for wearables and sensors in health and fitness. Polar wearables, among others, are connected via the Datico® Life App, such as Polar Loop, sports watches and the Polar H10 chest strap, plus other Bluetooth-enabled sensors such as heart rate chest straps. Because BLE works with standardised profiles, the range of devices that can be connected is broad and not tied to one manufacturer. The overview of compatible systems shows which devices are currently connected. If you have a particular device in mind, we are happy to check the integration for your project.

Who the Bluetooth route is for

Datico® Wearable Bluetooth is the route for projects in which the manufacturer’s cloud is not acceptable in the data flow: studies with strict regulatory requirements, hospitals and rehabilitation centres, and security-critical environments. A clear data flow without unnecessary third parties also makes review by the ethics committee easier. In hospitals and rehabilitation, wearable data between two appointments complements what is measured during therapy, such as recovery, sleep or everyday activity. In studies with participants in everyday life, wearable data and questionnaires at fixed study time points come together in the same app.

Bluetooth, Cloud or Swarm: the comparison

Datico® offers three routes for wearable data. Wearable Cloud imports the data via API from the manufacturer’s cloud and uses existing devices and accounts; the manufacturer’s cloud remains part of the chain. Wearable Bluetooth does without the manufacturer’s cloud entirely and gives you full control over the data flow; each person uses the Datico® Life App on their smartphone. Wearable Swarm uses a Bluetooth mesh on site to capture a very large number of sensors at once and displays them live, for example on testing days, at events or during exercises by emergency services. Whichever route you choose, the data ends up in the same database, assigned to the right person and the right time.

Frequently asked questions

Can wearable data be captured without a manufacturer cloud?

Yes, if the wearable outputs its data via Bluetooth. With Datico® Wearable Bluetooth, the device passes the data directly to the Datico® Life App, and from there it travels, encrypted, into the Datico® Life Hub on servers in Germany.

Do participants need an account with the manufacturer?

No. The data does not pass through the manufacturer’s platform, so no manufacturer account is needed. Participants use the Datico® Life App for iOS or Android.

Which wearables work with Datico® via Bluetooth?

Polar Loop, Polar sports watches and the Polar H10 chest strap, among others, plus other Bluetooth-enabled sensors. You will find the current list in the overview of compatible systems.

Does data capture also work without an internet connection?

Yes. The Datico® Life App captures the data in real time or with a delay and synchronises it with the Datico® Life Hub as soon as a connection is available again.

Where is the wearable data stored?

In the Datico® Life Hub, in a separate database for each customer on servers in Germany, with no transfer to third countries. For higher requirements, operation in your own infrastructure is also possible.

More later?

Wearable Bluetooth is part of the Datico® Life Hub. Questionnaires, results for participants and further data sources are added in the same app and the same database.

View the Datico® Life Hub

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