These phones can measure your heart rate with the camera
Google is known to experiment with the latest technologies and develop new updates for the convenience of its users. And it’s no different this time as Google showcases its latest effort of letting the users measure their respiratory and heart rate with the help of Google Fit app and the camera on their Android phone.
This announcement has left a lot of people baffled as measuring heart and respiratory rate is not a much simple feat. It is common knowledge that in order to track heart rate, a dedicated sensor is required just like the ones on certain fitness devices.
Even though this technology has been used on smartwatches or other such fitness devices, this is the first time, a cell-phone will be equipped to measure heart and respiratory rate. Hence, making it a unique venture.
The Director of Health Technologies at Google Health, Shwetak Patel announced in a blog post that this particular feature will be available to the users from next month. He also stated that this feature will rely on the already present sensors in the smartphone like the “microphone, camera and accelerometer” for tracking the heart and respiratory rate.
The basic inspiration behind this idea is to provide people who rely on Google Fit app an easy way to track their daily wellness. In addition, people can also save the measurements that the app provides them for future references.
How will a phone measure heart or respiratory rate?
The fitness app by Google, Google Fit will be using the front camera in android phones to measure the number of breaths an individual takes per minute. The phone should be set on a stable, sturdy surface so that the users can see themselves clearly from waist up. The phone camera should have an unobstructed view of the user’s torso and head.
Users will then proceed to the next step where they will be taken to a fullscreen UI with a live feed where the user’s chest and stomach will be marked. Users will then be instructed to breathe normally and hold still while the phone processes the information. Once the process is completed, the user will be shown the results.
Google traces the small changes in the user’s chest while processing in order to measure the respiratory rate. Whereas, in order to measure the heart rate, the user has to place their finger on the back camera lens of the smartphone and apply light pressure. The flashlight in the smartphone can be an addition for increased accuracy if there is low light. Google will be tracing the subtle changes in the colour of the user’s fingers to give an appropriate result of heart rate. Other factors that will be affecting heart rate monitor will be age, skin tone and lighting.
Users will have an option to save the heart rate for future reference as well. Each of these measurements will take 30 seconds to be detected and neither will need an active internet connection for the measurement.
Even with all these efforts, there is one concern that crossed everybody’s mind.
How accurate are these measurements?
Google is relatively confident about its new feature and claims that all the research work regarding this development was in-house. Along with this, Google has also maintained that the initial clinical studies in order to validate these measurements were complete and successful. As per Google’s claims, these measurements will work in a number of real-life situations and for most of the people. Google has also claimed that it believes in the customary algorithm that is used to measure the respiratory rate and heart rate.
Despite all these claims, Google has strictly maintained that the results acquired from these measurements should not be used for medical purposes like the diagnosis of any condition or even as a sign of cure from disease.
This app will initially be available to only Pixel phones but the plans of bringing it to other android smartphones are also in place.