Valencell is one of those companies consumers don’t know about; it is a leader in performance biometric technology, which sensors are used in many of today’s modern wearables. And it has just completed a study, comparing its heart rate sensor with the one Apple Watch rocks, and the standard chest strap.
The study has found that Valencell’s PerformTek biometric technology delivers unmatched accuracy on the wrist during activity. Conducted at Valencell’s Biometric Lab, the study compared PerformTek technology with the Apple Watch against a chest strap, which is the benchmark for accurately measuring heart rate during activity. Unsurprisingly, Valencell’s tech was found to deliver heart rate measurements as accurate as the chest strap benchmark on the wrist during exercise, while significantly outperforming the Apple Watch in all phases of testing.
The Apple Watch showed an average of 47% accuracy rate, and only five participants received a highly accurate heart rate reading during the treadmill test.The Valencell Biometrics Lab works with the company’s license partners looking to develop and validate biometric wearable products. For this study, 22 participants exercised while simultaneously wearing an Apple Watch, Valencell wrist sensor and Polar chest strap. Users each participated in a treadmill workout consisting of an 8-minute variable-intensity interval test. The Valencell technology showed an 82% accuracy rate with 18 of 22 participants receiving an accurate heart rate (heart rate within 5% of benchmark) reading during the test.
On the other hand, the Apple Watch showed an average of 47% accuracy rate, and only five participants received a highly accurate heart rate reading during the treadmill test.
“It’s easy to be fooled by wrist-based heart rate monitors that appear to work well during rest or low activity levels, but the bones, tendons, muscles, and vascular structure of the wrist can interfere with the ability to accurately measure heart rate and other biometrics during exercise,” said Dr. Steven LeBoeuf, President of Valencell. “Our biometrics experts recognized these challenges with the wrist and further developed
Valencell licenses its PerformTek biometric sensor technology to companies looking to break into the exploding wearables market, which recently recorded its eighth consecutive quarter of steady growth.