Google phone cameras will measure heart and breathing rate
Google has unveiled new capabilities for its Pixel smartphones. It will allow users to measure their heart and breathing rates using its camera.
Health programs available on Google Play’s store and Apple Inc’s App Store for years have provided the same functionality. But a study in 2017 found accuracy varied and adoption of the apps remains low.
Google Health leaders had advanced the AI powering the measurements and plan to detail its method and clinical trial in an academic paper in the coming weeks. The company expects to roll out the feature to other Android smartphones at an unspecified time but plans for iPhones are unclear.
Apple’s Watch, Google’s Fitbit, and other wearables have expanded the reach of heart rate sensing technologies to a larger population.
The smartphone camera will allow users to place their finger over the lens. The changes in color will correspond to blood flow. Respiration is calculated from a video of upper torso movements.
Google Health product manager Jack Po said that the company wanted to give an alternative to manual pulse checks for smartphone owners who only want to monitor their condition occasionally but cannot afford a wearable.
Po said the technology can mistake heart rates by about 2%. It requires further testing before it could be used in medical settings.
The new feature will be available as an update to the Google Fit app.
Google consolidated its health services about two years ago. They are aiming to better compete with Apple, Samsung Electronics Co and other mobile technology companies that have invested heavily in marketing wellness offerings.
