Assessing Heart Rate Using Consumer Technology Association Standards

Abstract

It is difficult for developers, researchers, and consumers to compare results among emerging wearable technology without using a uniform set of standards. This study evaluated the accuracy of commercially available wearable technology heart rate (HR) monitors using the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) standards. Participants (N = 23) simultaneously wore a Polar chest strap (criterion measure), Jabra Elite earbuds, Scosche Rhythm 24 armband, Apple Watch 4, and Garmin Forerunner 735 XT during sitting, activities of daily living, walking, jogging, running, and cycling, totaling 57 min of monitored activity. The Apple Watch mean bias was within ±1 bpm, and mean absolute percent error (MAPE) was <3% in all six conditions. Garmin underestimated HR in all conditions, except cycling and MAPE was >10% during sedentary, lifestyle, walk-jog, and running. The Jabra mean bias was within ±5 bpm for each condition, and MAPE exceeded 10% for walk-jog. The Scosche mean bias was within ±1 bpm and MAPE was <5% for all conditions. In conclusion, only the Apple Watch Series 4 and the Scosche Rhythm 24 displayed acceptable agreement across all conditions. By employing CTA standards, future developers, researchers, and consumers will be able to make true comparisons of accuracy among wearable devices.

Automated Heart Rate Detection in Seismocardiograms Using Electrocardiogram-Based Algorithms—A Feasibility Study

“…For the recordings with interference, the HR measured from SCG signals tends to be lower than that measured from ECG. The average absolute difference between the recordings compared for all activities was 3.3 ± 3.8 bpm, slightly less than reported for commercially available HR monitors [ 2 ].…”

“…The implementation of photoplethysmography (PPG) has made the study of heart rhythm affordable; at the same time, this method lacks precision in various conditions, is extremely sensitive to motion artifacts, and is known not to give reliable measurements for people with dark skin [ 1 ]. Recent studies show a common disparity between commercially available wearable technology heart rate (HR) monitors and methods based on electrocardiography (ECG) [ 2 ]; we might expect comparable precision from accelerometer-based methods.…”

CARE4Kids Study: Endophenotypes of Persistent Post-Concussive Symptoms in Adolescents: Study Rationale and Protocol

“…In addition, we include a non-cardiovascular measure of autonomic function-the pupillary light response. A potentially important innovation is the use of an inexpensive wearable device (Scosche Armband) 30 to collect heart rate data in parallel with one of the most widely used electrocardiography systems to assess cardiac function in autonomic function research—the Biopac system. If the data from the Schosche Armband provide heart rate data comparable to the Biopac system we will consider using it in the validation phase.…”

Editorial: Continued opportunities in wearable technologies and physiological assessment

“…We admit to facing a moment of vulnerability and not feeling confident of receiving any submissions to our Research Topic on Wearable Technologies and Physiological Assessment for the Frontiers in Digital Health journal when the call was announced in 2021. While wearable technology has been listed, since 2016, among the top trends ( 1 ) in our narrow field of interest ( 2 , 3 ), we were hesitant about its broader appeal. Perhaps for those reasons we deliberately asked for a wide range of applications in which wearable technology could obtain physiological data, from telehealth and clinical trials to diversity, inclusion, and environmental health.…”