If you are someone who dislikes wearing or carrying fitness trackers or simply does not want to invest in a tracker then this should be good news for you. Researchers at MIT have come up with a way for you to track you pulse using just your smartphone even if it is not in your hand.
BioPhone is basically an app that can be installed onto phones that are already existing on the market so it does not require any special or additional hardware to make use of the feature. The phones will then be able to monitor your heart and breathing rate even if the phone is in your pocket or bag.
The app was installed onto a Galaxy S4 by the research group for demonstration purposes. The phone will make use of the accelerometer and gyroscope in order to track even the slightest of vibrations and body movements that occur due to your heart beating or chest rising and falling during breathing.
12 subjects were used to conduct a trial run and the app did perform like it was supposed to however there were inconsistencies when compared to the FDA approved sensors that were also being used by the subjects. There was a difference of more than one heart beat per minute and a quarter of a breath per minute. So that means that you can’t go without your fitness tracker just yet but the app is a promising start and with some tweaks, it should become just as good as a fitness tracker.
The app isn’t available for the public to buy or try just yet but we should see it making a way onto our phones sometime in the near future.