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The
ActiTrac is small and lightweight (1.2 oz.) and is
available with wristwatch style straps, Velcro band
or belt-clip. The ActiTrac measures and records
movement (activity) in units of acceleration and is
computer calibrated. It contains a biaxial
piezoelectric sensor, a microprocessor, an analog to
digital converter, has programmable sensitivity,
programmable epoch length, programmable start
time/date, optional marker button, digital
integration at a sample rate of 40 Hz. and 128K of
nonvolatile EEPROM memory allowing for 88 days of
continuous recording. The ActiTrac also measures and
records ambient light. Two light ranges are
selectable: 0 - 1000 lux and 0 - 10,000 lux. A
comprehensive software package provides for data
display and analysis. The ActiTrac data can also be
displayed as multiple raster plots for viewing
circadian patterns and is formatted for convenient
export to spreadsheets.
Besides this impressive list of attributes, ActiTrac
sports another industry first. When not recording,
the unit goes to sleep, thus drawing only a few
micro amps of battery power. Additionally, the
ActiTrac features an unheard-of battery life of 2 -
4 years. This relates to about 20,000 hours of use.
Its remaining life span can be checked each time
it's connected to the PC. This feature is provided
by a thermometer type gage that tracks the monitors
usage and shows the remaining battery life. Since
the ActiTrac is always asleep when not recording,
the battery life for limited usage could possibly
exceed 4 years. Note, one unit in the marketplace,
has a battery life of less than 20 days.
Another outstanding feature of the ActiTrac system
is our LED checker. This convenient device allows
you to check the operation of the monitor in the
field or any time the unit is recording. Simply plug
the checker into the ActiTrac's output port and the
LED will blink when activity is detected. Slight
motion produces slow blinks and more vigorous action
delivers rapid blinks. With this convenient tester,
you'll always be assured the reliable microprocessor
in the ActiTrac is up and running and recording
motion data. |
