Gold Standard Reference Paper for not to choose the Polar H10 as a reference device for heart rate sensor accuracy validation

Last Updated on July 7, 2022 by pg@petergamma.org

Swiss Federal Institute of Sport Magglingen SFISM, Hauptstrasse 247, 2532, Magglingen

Rahel Gilgen‑Ammann Theresa Schweizer Thomas Wys

RR interval signal quality of a heart rate monitor and an ECG Holter at rest and during exercise:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKos3IhuH4AhWF_bsIHfGlD2kQFnoECAIQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ppdb.ehsm.ch%2Finf2%2Frm%2Ff.php%3Ff%3D20200416162130_5e9869eab833b.pdf%26n%3DGilgenAmmann_RRIntervalSignalQuality_2019.pdf&usg=AOvVaw23MOAobT8so8HFGAdgdcPo

Polar H10 has an inaccuracy of 0.4 % against peak detection methods. Choose the most accurate device for sports sensor validation.

This paper was partly funded by Polar. To demonstrate that the Polar H10 is more accurate than Holder ECGs, does not demonstrate, that the Polar H10 is generally more accurate than ECG devices.

A high quality ECG device (Iworxs, Adinstruments, Biopac, etc.) and a high quality ECG peak detection analysis method is superior to a Polar H10 as a reference device.

Choose such a device and such a method for sports sensor validation. Such a setup can also be built up at home and does not urgently have to be performed in a laboratory.

We suggest, that for instance an Iworx IX-214R:

Record data from iWorx Recorders with Matlab and Octave

is sufficient to get high quality ECG data to publish in a high quality journal. An Iworx IX-214R can be bought on ebay for 300 USD:

https://www.ebay.ch/itm/303453638578

But there are also other high-quality ECG devices described here in this blog. We suggest that these devices are more accurate than Holder ECG devices and the Polar H10, and can serve as high quality sports sensor validation reference devices.

Accuracy of consumer grade heart rate monitors

Gold standard reference paper for validation of sports sensor data is:

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0217288

The PLOS ONE paper uses a Nautilus device as a reference device. A. 32 channel EEG NAUTILUS MULTI PURPOSE DEVICE costs 54`178,78 Euros:

Validation of Polar OH1 optical heart rate sensor for moderate and high intensity physical activities

The accuracy value of 99.6 % of the Polar H10 is not the accuracy value against a motion artifact free ECG device

Use Motion Artifact Free ECG Devices for Validation of Heart Rate Monitors