Do you use a smartwatch or fitness band? Might you have wondered about_ How Smartwatches Measure Heart Rates Measures Heart Rate?.
Smartwatches these days do more than just show you the time on your wrists. They’re all in one smart device. Let you check and monitor your health activities, access smartphones via Bluetooth, and let you enable playing music, etc.
If you are wondering about how smartwatches measure heart rate or if they are accurate? then you arrived in the right place. In this article, I am sharing a piece of information about how smartwatches and fitness bands measure heart rate.
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So, with no further ado, let’s get started!
Simply put, your heart rate is a certain number of your heart rate per minute. It depends on what you are doing, whether you are resting, whether you are knocking slower or whether you are exercising; knocks faster. As you age, changes in the speed and regularity of your heart rate may change, which may show heart disease or another condition that needs to be treated.
How do Smartwatches Measure Heart Rate?
According to Apple, smartwatches use green lights and Photoplethysmogram (PPG) sensors on the back of the smartwatch for heart rate tracking. This green light and the PPG sensor play a vital role in the heart rate measurement process. The green lights are preferred because our red blood absorbs the lights and reflects red lights to the sensor.
When the heart beats, more blood flows into your hand. Meanwhile, the smartwatch flashes green LED lights hundreds of times per second on the wrist. While our red blood absorbs green lights and reflects the red lights back to the sensor. This PPG sensor measures the number of heartbeats (heart rate) per minute.
Wondering how this PPG sensor works?
Photoplethysmography (PPG) is the process or technique used to capture the volume of blood flow to understand the change in heart rate through the skin. Traditionally, ECG (ECG) sensors have also been used to measure heart rate and detect rhythms, but ECG sensors are some and cannot be used to detect heart rate when the body is moving.
Principles of photo plethysmogram (PPG)
As mentioned earlier, PPG sensors use low-intensity infrared green (IR) light. As light passes through living tissue, it is absorbed by bone, skin pigments, and both venous and arterial blood. Because blood absorbs more light than the surrounding tissue, the PPG sensor can detect changes in blood flow as changes in light intensity.
The voltage signal from PPG is proportional to the amount of blood flowing through the blood vessels. This method improves accuracy because even minor changes in blood volume can be detected.
How does this technology work?
According to the Valencell, the smartwatches and fitness bands use four major components :
- Optical emitter
- Digital Signal Processor (DSP)
- Accelerometer
- Algorithms
Optical emitter
Optical emitters usually include at least two LEDs that transmit light waves to the skin or hand. Because of the sizeable differences in skin tone, thickness and morphology associated with consumer diversity, many OHRMs use multiple light waves that interact with different skin and tissue levels.
Digital Signal Processor (DSP)
When light is transmitted through the smartwatch to the wrist, they reflect some light back to the sensor, which contains the Digital Signal Processor (DSP) which detects the light and converts these signals into another zero which is measured into meaningful data from the heart.
Accelerometer
Accelerometers measure movement and input into the PPG algorithm with DSP signals.
Algorithms
The algorithm processes exercise-tolerant heart rate data such as VO2, calories burned, RR interval, heart rate changes, blood metabolism levels, and blood oxygen level signals from DSPs and accelerometers.
Are Smartwatches accurate for heart rate?
Smartwatches or fitness bands are probably not accurate compared to professional medical devices. But they will be almost closer to measuring heart rate, not precisely. It will be accurate when advanced technology increases.
It is therefore recommended not to rely entirely on this type of device for critical monitoring instead of the doctor.
Most of the time, smartwatches and fitness bands fairly measure accurate heart rate, but it is not a means to use this device for critical heart rate monitoring. You can use these kinds of wearable devices as features, not for medical equipment. I hope this piece of information written by Gadgetexpert24.com will help you understand the functionality of the smartwatch and the fitness tracker’s heart rate monitoring.
Also read:
How does smartwatch measure heart rate?
According to Apple, smartwatches use green lights and Photoplethysmogram (PPG) sensors on the back of the smartwatch for heart rate tracking. This green light and the PPG sensor play a vital role in the heart rate measurement process. The green lights are preferred because our red blood absorbs the lights and reflects red lights to the sensor.
Can a smartwatch accurately measure heart rate?
Smartwatches or fitness bands are probably not accurate compared to professional medical devices. But they will be almost closer to measuring heart rate, not precisely. It will be accurate when advanced technology increases.
