REAL-TIME STRESS DETECTION BAND USING GALVANIC SKIN RESPONSE (GSR)

Abstract

The Real-Time Stress Detection Band using Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) is a wearable physiological monitoring system designed to continuously analyze a user’s emotional and mental state by examining variations in skin conductivity, which is strongly influenced by sweat gland activity controlled by the autonomic nervous system. Stress has increasingly become a major global health concern, affecting productivity, emotional stability, and long-term well-being, and conventional stress assessment methods such as questionnaires or periodic medical checkups fail to provide continuous and accurate realtime insights. This project aims to bridge this gap by integrating sensor technology, embedded computing, and intelligent data analysis into a compact wrist-worn device that measures real-time electrodermal activity. When a person experiences stress, the sympathetic nervous system activates, causing an increase in sweat secretion even in small amounts, and this physiological change results in measurable shifts in skin resistance; the GSR sensor accurately detects these subtle variations and sends them to a microcontroller, which processes the signals and applies calibrated thresholding or machine learning techniques to determine the stress level. The band continuously monitors user data, classifies stress states, and displays or transmits the results through wireless communication to smartphones or cloud dashboards for visualization and long-term trend analysis. The system also provides notifications or alerts whenever stress crosses a predefined threshold, allowing early intervention through relaxation routines, mindfulness techniques, or behavior adjustments. The primary objective of this system is to offer an affordable, non-invasive, and real-time approach to mental wellness monitoring, suitable for students, professionals, patients, or individuals dealing with high-pressure lifestyles. Unlike medicalgrade equipment, this wearable solution is portable and cost-effective, making stress monitoring accessible to the general public without the need for hospital visits. The embedded algorithms ensure fast and accurate readings by filtering noise, stabilizing baseline fluctuations, and adjusting sensitivity according to environmental conditions. The device can also integrate additional sensors such as heart rate, skin temperature, or accelerometers to enable multi-parametric stress analysis for even higher accuracy. Practical applications include workplace stress evaluation, student examination anxiety tracking, early burnout detection, fitness and workout stress monitoring, and therapeutic psychological assessments. The overall system is designed for long battery life, comfortable wearing experience, and consistent performance. The project thus contributes to the growing field of wearable health technology by offering a reliable solution that identifies stress in real time through biometric changes, enabling users to take better control of their emotional health and lifestyle choices while providing researchers and clinicians with valuable physiological data for detailed behavioral modeling and medical insights.