Does the heart rate monitor work for black people or other dark brown skinned people?

[jean15paul]

This is a legitimate question. The heart rate sensor uses infrared and visible light to detect changes in skin color and temperature(?) . Will that sensor be able to see my pulse and blood flow if I have dark brown skin? Does anyone have experience using these light-based heart rate sensors with brown skin?

 

[miketko]

I sure hope so, since apple is all about diversity lol

 

[Just_Me_D]

I highly doubt a company as famous & successful as Apple would risk the backlash from excluding people from benefitting from a health-related app due to their skin color.

 

[Highrisedrifter]

I am reminded of the episode of "Better Off Ted" about racial sensitivity.

https://forums.imore.com/e?link=htt...s%3A%2F%2Fvimeo.com%2F29017688&token=FQyKg5jO for a small excerpt.

 

[John Yester]

Heart rate does does effect color of skin or age of skin

 

[jean15paul]

I sure hope so, since apple is all about diversity lol

I highly doubt a company as famous & successful as Apple would risk the backlash from excluding people from benefitting from a health-related app due to their skin color.

Hopefully

 

[jean15paul]

I am reminded of the episode of "Better Off Ted" about racial sensitivity.

https://forums.imore.com/e?link=htt...s%3A%2F%2Fvimeo.com%2F29017688&token=tdy_1lKo for a small excerpt.

Nice. That was a good show.

 

[shanghaichica]

Yes. All of the instruments I use at work to measure my patients vital signs do not discriminate on the basis of skin colour.

 

[jean15paul]

Yes. All of the instruments I use at work to measure my patients vital signs do not discriminate on the basis of skin colour.

Yes, but I assume that you work at a hospital or doctor's office. The pulse ox sensor that I've used in those settings goes on the finger tip, which is not brown so it can easily "see" your pulse.

Using that exact same technology on the back of a brown wrist wouldn't work.

This is why I ask the question.

 

[shanghaichica]

Yes, but I assume that you work at a hospital or doctor's office. The pulse ox sensor that I've used in those settings goes on the finger tip, which is not brown so it can easily "see" your pulse.

Using that exact same technology on the back of a brown wrist wouldn't work.

This is why I ask the question.

But the finger tip of a person with white skin is not the same colour as a person with darker skin and it still works.

 

[jean15paul]

But the finger tip of a person with white skin is not the same colour as a person with darker skin and it still works.

I disagree. Everyone's finger tips are not the exact same color, but everyone's finger tips is naturally flesh-toned. There very little melanin in finger tips to obscure the view of the instrument into the body. This isn't true on the wrist.

 

[shanghaichica]

Either way I'm sure it will work.

 

[jean15paul]

Either way I'm sure it will work.

I hope so.

Unrelated. Because of your avatar, I feel like I'm disagreeing with Spock, which is not something that a person should normally do.

 

[miketko]

I feel this thread is a massive troll ha

 

[kilofoxtrot]

I hope so.

Unrelated. Because of your avatar, I feel like I'm disagreeing with Spock, which is not something that a person should normally do.

I see the logic of your quandary.

 

[metllicamilitia]

Let's science then for a sec, infrared see heat not skin. No problem, will work fine.

 

[Guacho]

Racegate. =)

 

[Bifurcated]

Let's science then for a sec, infrared see heat not skin. No problem, will work fine.

Where have you found information saying it uses infrared? I've been assuming that the Apple Watch is a photoplethysmogram, which uses LEDs to illuminate in the visible light spectrum.

Photoplethysmogram - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I've not been able to find any discussion around whether skin color affects accuracy of such devices, but given that they're used in hospitals (those finger-clip HR monitors), I'm going to be pretty confident that they work fine. Would love to hear more though.

 

[metllicamilitia]

Where have you found information saying it uses infrared? I've been assuming that the Apple Watch is a photoplethysmogram, which uses LEDs to illuminate in the visible light spectrum.

Photoplethysmogram - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I've not been able to find any discussion around whether skin color affects accuracy of such devices, but given that they're used in hospitals (those finger-clip HR monitors), I'm going to be pretty confident that they work fine. Would love to hear more though.

I'm just basing that off the original post that says infrared. I'm not claiming the Apple Watch uses infrared. I don't remember if they said in the keynote what it uses. Sorry for any misunderstanding.

 

[akanne]

I think I heard somewhere that the Apple Watch is dual wavelength - green and something else which may be near IR. With regards to skin color it probably works as good or better than the other optical HR bands available because of the dual wavelength design as opposed to other products that use green only.

It'll be interesting to see how well it handles light leaks which in my experience is the bane of accuracy with optical HR - I've had to wear my Mio Link a lot tighter than I'd like.