Photoplethysmography (PPG) technology has been used to develop small, wearable, pulse rate sensors. These devices, consisting of infrared light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and photodetectors, offer a simple, reliable, low-cost means of monitoring the pulse rate noninvasively. Recent advances in optical technology have facilitated the use of high-intensity green LEDs for PPG, increasing the adoption of this measurement technique. In this review, we briefly present the history of PPG and recent developments in wearable pulse rate sensors with green LEDs. The application of wearable pulse rate monitors is discussed.

Wearable Photoplethysmographic Sensors—Past and Present

A battery-powered multisensor acquisition system with five dedicated channels [electrocardiograph (50 $\mu \text{W}$ ), bioimpedance (46 $\mu \text{W}$ ), galvanic skin response (15 $\mu \text{W}$ ), and 2 $\times $ photoplethysmogram (134 $\mu \text{W}$ ) is presented. It includes an ARM Cortex M0, analog and digital filters, timestamp converter and sample rate converter (SRC), and generic interfaces to support additional sensor modalities. The timestamp module makes precise synchronization between the data streams possible. The SRC module makes the sample rates of data from the internal and external sensor readouts compatible with each other, and is up to a factor 35 more energy efficient compared with a software solution. These modules enable performing accurate and reliable (correlation) techniques. The power management includes two buck converters, an LDO, and eight LED drivers, supporting up to 64 LEDs in an $8 \times 8$ matrix organization. It makes this system the most complete and versatile sensor readout system with state-of-the-art performance (1073 $\mu \text{W}$ with all channels enabled).

A Multi(bio)sensor Acquisition System With Integrated Processor, Power Management, $8 \times 8$ LED Drivers, and Simultaneously Synchronized ECG, BIO-Z, GSR, and Two PPG Readouts

Heart rate (HR) as an important physiological indicator could properly describe global subject’s physical status. Photoplethysmographic (PPG) sensors are catching on in field of wearable sensors, combining the advantages in costs, weight and size. Nevertheless, accuracy in HR readings is unreliable specifically during physical activity. Among several identified sources that affect PPG recording, contact pressure (CP) between the PPG sensor and skin greatly influences the signals. Methods: In this study, the accuracy of HR measurements of a PPG sensor at different CP was investigated when compared with a commercial ECG-based chest strap used as a test control, with the aim of determining the optimal CP to produce a reliable signal during physical activity. Seventeen subjects were enrolled for the study to perform a physical activity at three different rates repeated at three different contact pressures of the PPG-based wristband. Results: The results show that the CP of 54 mmHg provides the most accurate outcome with a Pearson correlation coefficient ranging from 0.81 to 0.95 and a mean average percentage error ranging from 3.8% to 2.4%, based on the physical activity rate. Conclusion: Authors found that changes in the CP have greater effects on PPG-HR signal quality than those deriving from the intensity of the physical activity and specifically, the individual best CP for each subject provided reliable HR measurements even for a high intensity of physical exercise with a Bland–Altman plot within ±11 bpm. Although future studies on a larger cohort of subjects are still needed, this study could contribute a profitable indication to enhance accuracy of PPG-based wearable devices.

https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/20/18/5052/pdf

A Study on the Effect of Contact Pressure during Physical Activity on Photoplethysmographic Heart Rate Measurements.

When evaluating general health condition on a patient, heart rate is an essential indicator as it is directly representative of the cardiac system state. Continuous measurement methods of heart rate are required for ambulatory monitoring involved in preliminary diagnostic indicators of cardiac diseases or stroke. The growing number of recent developments in wearable devices is reflective of the increasing demand in wrist-worn activity trackers for fitness and health applications. Indeed, the wrist represents a convenient location in terms of form factor and acceptability for patients. While most commercially-available devices are based on optical methods for heart rate measurement, others methods were also developed, based on various physiological phenomena. This review is focused on heart rate measurement methods located on forearm and more specifically on the wrist. For each method, the physiological mechanism involved is described, and the associated transducers for bio-signal acquisition as well as practical developments and prototypes are presented. Methods are discussed on their advantages, limitations and their suitability for an ambulatory use. More specifically, the superposition of motion artefacts over the signal of interest is one of the largest drawbacks for these methods, when used out of laboratory conditions. As such, artefact reduction techniques proposed in the literature are also presented and discussed.

A Review of Methods for Non-Invasive Heart Rate Measurement on Wrist

..................................................................................................................................... ii Preface ....................................................................................................................................... iv Table of

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Koichi Mizutani

Papers

The Effect of Contact Pressure to the Photoplethysmographic Sensor During Walking