Are Activity Wrist-Worn Devices Accurate for Determining Heart Rate during Intense Exercise?
The market for wrist-worn devices is growing at previously unheard-of speeds. A consequence of their fast commercialization is a lack of adequate studies testing their accuracy on varied populations and pursuits. To provide an understanding of wearable sensors for sports medicine, the present study...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Bioengineering |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5354/10/2/254 |
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| author | Pilar Martín-Escudero Ana María Cabanas María Luisa Dotor-Castilla Mercedes Galindo-Canales Francisco Miguel-Tobal Cristina Fernández-Pérez Manuel Fuentes-Ferrer Romano Giannetti |
| author_facet | Pilar Martín-Escudero Ana María Cabanas María Luisa Dotor-Castilla Mercedes Galindo-Canales Francisco Miguel-Tobal Cristina Fernández-Pérez Manuel Fuentes-Ferrer Romano Giannetti |
| author_sort | Pilar Martín-Escudero |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The market for wrist-worn devices is growing at previously unheard-of speeds. A consequence of their fast commercialization is a lack of adequate studies testing their accuracy on varied populations and pursuits. To provide an understanding of wearable sensors for sports medicine, the present study examined heart rate (HR) measurements of four popular wrist-worn devices, the (Fitbit Charge (FB), Apple Watch (AW), Tomtom runner Cardio (TT), and Samsung G2 (G2)), and compared them with gold standard measurements derived by continuous electrocardiogram examination (ECG). Eight athletes participated in a comparative study undergoing maximal stress testing on a cycle ergometer or a treadmill. We analyzed 1,286 simultaneous HR data pairs between the tested devices and the ECG. The four devices were reasonably accurate at the lowest activity level. However, at higher levels of exercise intensity the FB and G2 tended to underestimate HR values during intense physical effort, while the TT and AW devices were fairly reliable. Our results suggest that HR estimations should be considered cautiously at specific intensities. Indeed, an effective intervention is required to register accurate HR readings at high-intensity levels (above 150 bpm). It is important to consider that even though none of these devices are certified or sold as medical or safety devices, researchers must nonetheless evaluate wrist-worn wearable technology in order to fully understand how HR affects psychological and physical health, especially under conditions of more intense exercise. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:08:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6c2ca5467e064cf5883bf66503389a76 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2306-5354 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:08:01Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Bioengineering |
| spelling | doaj.art-6c2ca5467e064cf5883bf66503389a762023-11-16T19:11:50ZengMDPI AGBioengineering2306-53542023-02-0110225410.3390/bioengineering10020254Are Activity Wrist-Worn Devices Accurate for Determining Heart Rate during Intense Exercise?Pilar Martín-Escudero0Ana María Cabanas1María Luisa Dotor-Castilla2Mercedes Galindo-Canales3Francisco Miguel-Tobal4Cristina Fernández-Pérez5Manuel Fuentes-Ferrer6Romano Giannetti7Professional Medical School of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, SpainDepartamento de Física, FACI, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica 1010069, ChileInstituto de Micro y Nanotecnología, IMN-CNM, CSIC (CEI UAM+CSIC), 28760 Tres Cantos, SpainProfessional Medical School of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, SpainProfessional Medical School of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, SpainServicio de Medicina Preventiva Complejo Hospitalario de Santiago de Compostela, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago, 15706 Santiago de Compostela, SpainUnidad de Investigación, Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria, 38010 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, SpainIIT, Institute of Technology Research, Universidad Pontificia Comillas, 28015 Madrid, SpainThe market for wrist-worn devices is growing at previously unheard-of speeds. A consequence of their fast commercialization is a lack of adequate studies testing their accuracy on varied populations and pursuits. To provide an understanding of wearable sensors for sports medicine, the present study examined heart rate (HR) measurements of four popular wrist-worn devices, the (Fitbit Charge (FB), Apple Watch (AW), Tomtom runner Cardio (TT), and Samsung G2 (G2)), and compared them with gold standard measurements derived by continuous electrocardiogram examination (ECG). Eight athletes participated in a comparative study undergoing maximal stress testing on a cycle ergometer or a treadmill. We analyzed 1,286 simultaneous HR data pairs between the tested devices and the ECG. The four devices were reasonably accurate at the lowest activity level. However, at higher levels of exercise intensity the FB and G2 tended to underestimate HR values during intense physical effort, while the TT and AW devices were fairly reliable. Our results suggest that HR estimations should be considered cautiously at specific intensities. Indeed, an effective intervention is required to register accurate HR readings at high-intensity levels (above 150 bpm). It is important to consider that even though none of these devices are certified or sold as medical or safety devices, researchers must nonetheless evaluate wrist-worn wearable technology in order to fully understand how HR affects psychological and physical health, especially under conditions of more intense exercise.https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5354/10/2/254heart ratewearablesphysical exertionexercise prescriptiondigital healthmonitoring |
| spellingShingle | Pilar Martín-Escudero Ana María Cabanas María Luisa Dotor-Castilla Mercedes Galindo-Canales Francisco Miguel-Tobal Cristina Fernández-Pérez Manuel Fuentes-Ferrer Romano Giannetti Are Activity Wrist-Worn Devices Accurate for Determining Heart Rate during Intense Exercise? Bioengineering heart rate wearables physical exertion exercise prescription digital health monitoring |
| title | Are Activity Wrist-Worn Devices Accurate for Determining Heart Rate during Intense Exercise? |
| title_full | Are Activity Wrist-Worn Devices Accurate for Determining Heart Rate during Intense Exercise? |
| title_fullStr | Are Activity Wrist-Worn Devices Accurate for Determining Heart Rate during Intense Exercise? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Are Activity Wrist-Worn Devices Accurate for Determining Heart Rate during Intense Exercise? |
| title_short | Are Activity Wrist-Worn Devices Accurate for Determining Heart Rate during Intense Exercise? |
| title_sort | are activity wrist worn devices accurate for determining heart rate during intense exercise |
| topic | heart rate wearables physical exertion exercise prescription digital health monitoring |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5354/10/2/254 |
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