Performance Comparison of Wired and Wireless Electrodermal Activity Sensors During a Simulated Port Approach Maneuver

On large ships, Officers on Watch (OOW) work in a demanding environment where they are confronted with stress and dynamic conditions and frequently move from one wing of the vessel to another. Therefore, a physiological monitoring system to assess the activity of their autonomic nervous system, i.e., to detect their physiological responses, stress, and fatigue, should be lightweight and portable. This paper presents a comparison of wired and portable wearable psychophysiological systems. Although the wired system offers greater precision, its complexity, poor ergonomics, and the need for a controlled setup make it less suitable for the natural working conditions of OOWs. A wireless portable system, although weaker in precision, is more suitable due to its portability, ease of use, real-time data capabilities, ability to measure anxiety, and immediate insights into physiological states during real-world use in real time. Such an application provides a wearable physiological data collection solution that, in conjunction with a mobile app and cloud platform, enables seamless data collection and processing of participants’ autonomic nervous system arousal.