It shouldn't work but.............

[Tobw]

I was having a browse through ITunes' app store yesterday and came across something called a "Heart Rate Camera- touchless pulse monitor" which claimed the app could give you your heart rate if you looked at yourself with your IPad's camera. The blurb claimed that it worked by "detecting the subtle colour variations caused by blood pumping through your face". I thought "yeah right", but it only cost £1.49, so I decided to buy it and I must say that, although you get the odd dodgy reading when the light isn't quite right, it has been within one or two bpm of my pulse about 75% of the time.

I'm sure my GP would, understandably, be very sceptical if I turned up at the surgery quoting results from the app and they do emphasise that it's for entertainment purposes only, but I just found it amazing that it could be so accurate most of the time - I don't suppose anybody has any knowledge of the technology involved do they because I still find it very hard to believe that it can work in the way they say it does.

[beardy_chris]

I think the concept is valid, see

independent.co.uk/life-styl...

whether the App works or not is a different story.

It's pretty amazing tho'!

[Tobw in reply to beardy_chris]

Thanks very much Chris, that was a fascinating read, especially when you consider it's possible relevance to AFib diagnosis.

[beardy_chris in reply to Tobw]

Yes - once productised and verified, it could revolutionise a lot of stuff. There's some damn clever people in the world!

[Gmc54]

Sounds interesting. Does is show up AF do you know? Some ordinary pulse detectors just don't work when in AF, you get an error reading.

[Tobw in reply to Gmc54]

I wouldn't go as far as to say I'm eager to go into AFib, but it will be interesting to see what it says when I am! Looking at that article, it seems technology based on what the app does to confirm AFib could possibly be in use some time soon.

[Gmc54]

Thanks for the reply. I have a free app which is supposed to show your pulse, but it is next to useless. I might invest in this one, after all it isn't much to lose.

[iris1205 in reply to Gmc54]

Yes it works. Before I had the alivecor I used AZUMIO's Heart rate. It was great because when I was pre-afib but erratic it gave significantly unusual waves (which I learned to read as ectopics or PVCs), then when in full blown Afib, the device kept restarting as it could not maintain a consistent rate or rhythm. Bingo AFIB!

[Hidden]

I am just looking at a section in "Your Heart Matters" sponsored by the Heart Foundation in Australia:- It appears that it is a device that attaches to a smartphone (iECG) and in 30 seconds can detect electrical impulses travelling through the heart muscle and measured. I am not sure what good it will do for anyone already diagnosed or whether it will give you a print out if you attach it to your computer, but I will find out this week. I am not a wonderful computer geek person and not really sure of this advance in heart disease technology, probably someone more informed than myself can make a comment.

[CDreamer]

It was featured in a tv programmer some time ago on how new technologies were helping monitor and diagnose, I think it was Horizon? It explained a little about the technology but didn't go into detail for obvious commercial reasons.

[iris1205]

I am not sure but I think they did some work on this technique at MIT, you might google it.

Much is being done in this field, I know they are developing projects to study babies faces which can detect Autism. Amazing times!

Yes it works. Before I had the alivecor I used AZUMIO's Heart rate. It was great because when I was pre-afib but erratic it gave significantly unusual waves (which I learned to read as ectopics or PVCs), then when in full blown Afib, the device kept restarting as it could not maintain a consistent rate or rhythm. Bingo AFIB!

Best wishes for not needing it!

[Tobw]

Thanks for the replies - I'm still gobsmacked by the technology involved!