Setting up Shimmer3 GSR+ with Pro Lab

Pro Lab provides biometric measurement capabilities through the integration of a wearable galvanic skin response (GSR) sensor – the Shimmer3 GSR+ Unit. This integration enables simultaneous recording and automatic synchronization of GSR and eye tracking data. The integration is available for Screen type projects.

In order to use a Shimmer3 GSR+ device in Pro Lab, the computer running Pro Lab needs to be equipped with a Bluetooth Adapter to allow the streaming of GSR data over Bluetooth. An external Bluetooth Adapter is recommended.

To set up a Shimmer3 GSR+ device in Pro Lab, the unit needs to be paired to the computer running Pro Lab first. This is a one-time configuration.

Note that the following pairing instructions are based on Windows 10. Go to Windows support to learn how to pair Bluetooth devices with Windows 7 or 8.1.

1. Disconnect the Shimmer device from the Shimmer dock.
2. Turn on your Shimmer device.
3. On your computer, go to the Bluetooth Settings (press the start button on the left part of the Windows taskbar and write “Bluetooth settings”). The Shimmer device should appear on your list of devices ready to pair. Click on Pair.
4. Enter the Shimmer pairing code “1234” and click on Next. The computer will now configure automatically the Shimmer GSR+ device. 

Once your Shimmer3 GSR+ device has been paired with your computer, Pro Lab will automatically connect to it every time you configure Pro Lab to record GSR data with Shimmer 3 GSR+.

1. Disconnect the Shimmer device from the Shimmer dock.
2. Attach the GSR electrodes to your participant´s skin and turn on the Shimmer3 GSR+ device.
3. Make sure that Shimmer’s recording application – Consensys Software – is not running when you open Pro Lab. 
4. Open or create a Screen project type in Pro Lab. Note that GSR data recording with a Shimmer3 GSR+ device is not supported in a Glasses project type yet. 
5. Go to the Record module and add a GSR card. For that, click on the [+] sign that appears on the right upper corner of the Pro Lab window and click on the Add button next to Shimmer GSR.
6. Wait for a few seconds until Pro Lab connects to the Shimmer device over Bluetooth. The upper led of the Shimmer3 GSR+ device will start blinking every second with a blue light once the device is connected and streaming GSR data to Pro Lab. 
7. The GSR card will show a live graph with the GSR data that is being received in Pro Lab. Shimmer3 GSR+ data are now ready to be recorded in Pro Lab.
8. Check that the GSR signal quality is appropriate, set up an eye tracker or any other biometric sensor that you will use during the recording.