Key facts
- Google developed a system to estimate heart rate using a smartphone's front-facing camera and AI.
- The system can also estimate resting heart rate.
- Testing showed accuracy within five beats per minute of a Fitbit Charge 6 for resting heart rate.
- The technology is currently a research project.
Google has developed a new system that can estimate a person's heart rate and resting heart rate using only a smartphone's front-facing camera and on-device artificial intelligence. This research aims to bring health tracking capabilities, similar to those found in smartwatches and fitness bands, to a wider audience. In testing, the system reportedly achieved accuracy for resting heart rate estimates within five beats per minute of a Fitbit Charge 6. While still in the research phase, the technology could make heart health monitoring accessible to billions of smartphone users globally without the need for dedicated wearable devices. Google thinks your next heart-rate monitor might already be sitting in your pocket. In a newly published research, the company has detailed a system that can estimate a person's heart rate and resting heart rate using only a smartphone's front-facing camera. The technology could eventually bring wearable-like health tracking to people who don't own a smartwatch or fitness band. For years, tracking heart rate has largely been the job of devices strapped to your wrist. Products like Fitbit trackers and smartwatches have made it easy to monitor your cardiovascular health throughout the day. The catch is that not everyone owns one, and many people never will. Smartphones, on the other hand, are nearly everywhere. That's the opportunity Google is chasing.