Last Updated on December 1, 2023 by pg@petergamma.org
Studies from the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio have shown that Apple watches are the most accurate optical heart rate monitors and are next to the Polar H7 chest strap the closest to 3 channel gold standard ECG devices as fas as accuracy is concerned. 3 channel ECG devices are used for medical and research grade applications on a treadmill up to about 15 km/h. At higher speeds ECG motion artifacts occur and these devices cannot be used as a reference or as a scientific tool:
On Google Scholar we can see that Apple watches are used in scientific papers:
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=de&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=apple+watch&oq=apple+watch
But we do not know of researcher who use Apple watches on a regular basis as their scientific tool. Different researches have tested those but which one use those in a sustainable way for scientific research?
On the other hand, 3 channel ECG devices as for instance the TA 220 from iWorx is used on a regular basis for scientific studies. iWorx has published a list of papers in which the TA 220 was used under «citations»:
If Apple watches or other smart watches with OHRM would be of interest for researcher would not companies such a iWorx, Adinstruments, Biopac or g.tec medical have picked those up in their products catalogue an sell those together with a list of papers in which they are used? Or would they not have developed a smartwach by themselves or use a smartwach from Apple and validate it? A smartwatch which is especially designed for scientific studies, a «scientific» Apple watch which is validated so that it is not necessary to write a validation paper for every new Apple watch which occurrs on the market? But we do not know of such an Apple watch or a similar smartwatch which is used on a regular basis for scientific studies. iWorx, Adinstruments, Biopac or gtec medical sell optical heart rate monitors but we know little about those.