Wearable App: PULSE for Research
Advancing Health Research Through Wearable Data
PULSE is a wearable research platform developed by the Center for Computational & Digital Health Innovation at Duke University.
Using the PULSE app, volunteers can securely contribute data from their wearable devices, including heart rate, activity, sleep, and other health-related metrics, to support research aimed at improving our understanding of health and disease.
Your Data. Your Choice. Your Contribution to Research.
By participating, you help create one of the largest research resources for wearable health data, enabling future discoveries in prevention, early detection, and personalized health.
Why Participate?
Every participant helps create a richer picture of human health.
By contributing your wearable data, you help researchers:
Build better health insights
Large-scale wearable datasets can reveal patterns that are impossible to identify in small studies.
Support future research
Your data may contribute to future IRB-approved studies focused on cardiovascular health, sleep, activity, aging, wellness, and other important areas.
Help shape the future of digital health
Wearables are transforming healthcare. Participation helps researchers understand how these technologies can improve lives at scale.
Minimal effort
After enrollment, data collection occurs automatically in the background while you continue your normal daily activities.
Privacy and Data Protection
Protecting participant privacy is a core design principle of PULSE.
Secure data transfer
Data are transmitted using encrypted connections and stored within secure Duke-managed research environments.
Separation of identity and research data
Your wearable data are stored separately from identifying information. Research datasets use coded participant IDs rather than names or contact information.
Participant control
You choose which categories of wearable data to share and may revoke permissions at any time. You may also request withdrawal from the registry.
Research use only
Data collected through PULSE are used exclusively for research purposes. Data are not sold and are not used for advertising or marketing.
What Data Can Be Shared?
Depending on your device and permissions, PULSE may collect information such as:
- Heart rate
- Physical activity and step count
- Sleep metrics
- Device-recorded movement data
- Other wearable sensor measurements
- Optional demographic information
You decide what data categories are authorized through your device settings and app permissions.
Why We Built PULSE
Wearable devices generate an unprecedented view of daily health.
Millions of people now track:
- Heart rate
- Physical activity
- Sleep patterns
- Recovery metrics
- Other physiological signals
Yet much of this information remains fragmented and inaccessible for research.
The PULSE initiative was created to build a secure, participant-centered wearable data registry that enables researchers to better understand how health changes over time and how wearable technologies can improve healthcare.
The long-term vision is to support research that can:
- Accelerate wearable-driven scientific discovery
- Detect disease earlier
- Understand recovery and resilience
- Improve preventive healthcare
- Enable next-generation digital health tools
Frequently Asked Questions
Is PULSE providing medical advice?
No. PULSE is a research platform and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or provide medical advice.
Will my information be sold?
No. Data collected through PULSE are used only for research purposes and are not sold to third parties.
Can I stop participating?
Yes. You can stop sharing data at any time and may request withdrawal from the registry through the procedures described in the app.
Who can access the data?
Only authorized researchers working under approved research protocols may access research datasets. Identifying information is stored separately and is not shared with researchers.
Download PULSE
Ready to participate? Download the app to get started.