Accuracy of consumer heart rate monitors

The accuracy of wearable technology is unknown and it is a growing market that is expected to reach $34 billion by 2020 (Castaneda, Esparza, Ghamari, Soltanpur & Nazeran, 2018). Wearable technology such as the Fitbit Charge 2 (FBC2) is becoming more ubiquitous as a tool to measure heart rate (HR). The are two main technologies: Photoplethysmography (PPG), used in FBC2 and Electrocardiogram (ECG), gold standard and also used in Polar H10. The purpose of this study is to establish if the FBC2 is accurate at measuring HR at various working intensities (50%, 75%, and 90%). We hypothesized that the FBC2 would be inaccurate at moderate to high working intensities (75% and 90%). Conclusion: Popular devices such as the multifunctioning Fitbit have a large share in the current fitness market; it does not mean it is the most reliable device for tracking HR. Our results confirmed our hypothesis of the Fitbit Charge 2 being inaccurate at high working
intensities (75% and 90%). Although, at lower intensities (50%), the FBC2 was accurate, but further research is needed to determine if FBC2 and other wearable technologies are accurate at determining HR.