Presentation
Pulse Rate Variability From Wearable Wristwatches as a Surrogate for Heart Rate Variability? We Think Not Yet
DescriptionHeart rate variability (HRV), derived from ECG, is a validated biomarker of fatigue, but its application in real-world settings is limited by cumbersome hardware. Pulse rate variability (PRV) from photoplethysmography (PPG) offers a promising alternative, especially using wrist-worn devices. However, PRV is susceptible to motion artifacts and physiological confounds, raising concerns about its reliability. This study evaluated PRV-HRV agreement across 13 sensorimotor tasks, varying across ambulatory conditions as well as physical and cognitive task demands using Empatica’s EmbracePlus (PPG) and Actiheart (ECG). Looking in both in pre- and post fatigue states, significant HRV-PRV differences were observed in 85% of tasks with very low correlation across all tasks. Only two physically demanding obstacle-walk tasks showed non-significant differences, suggesting transient alignment under high sympathetic activation and arterial stiffening. Overall, PRV underestimated variability, particularly during stationary and seated conditions, with motion artifacts likely degrading signal quality. These findings emphasize the need for cautious interpretation of smartwatch-derived PRV in applied contexts. Improved artifact reduction, advanced denoising algorithms, and exploration of spectral-domain metrics are necessary before PRV can reliably substitute HRV in fatigue and performance assessments.
Event Type
Lecture
TimeThursday, October 16th11:30am - 11:50am CDT
LocationGrand Hall I
Usability and System Evaluation
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