Last Updated on January 6, 2023 by pg@petergamma.org
As soon as devices like the Apple watch can be used for instance for clinical applications, they eventually will be controlled by the manufacturer, to make money out of it, as this was done for instance with Android phones. Here we share our experience with Android phones:
Who wants to perform a clinical validation study with the Apple watch x? As soon as the study is done, the Apple watch x + 1 will be released, which is better than the Apple watch x. Furthermore, we do not know, if Apple makes a firmware update which destroys our validation study.
For us personally, an easier way is to validate a 3 lead Open BCI ECG setup for our application. There are already ECG devices on the market like the Schiller Medilog AR12 Plus Holter ECG device. But will we be happy with the Schiller Medilog Fire of Life sofware? We have studied neither the hardware nor the software of the device.
Currently, we think the easiest setup which is worth for a validation study is a 3 lead ECG OpenBCI setup with a Python ECG toolbox. The hardware for this setup is affordable, and is not has heavy as
the iWorx IX-TA-220. But we know little about Python ECG toolboxes. And to evaluate this hardware and software for our application takes time.
We do not know if it is possible to develop an optical heart rate sensor device, which is as accurate as a 3 lead ECG device. Apple watches are close to those, but it took time to develop these devices, and we suppose that Apple invested a lot of money in the development of those, and now, they want to make money out of those.
Here we share what we know how to try it all the same, to build an accurate optical heart rate device all the same: