See full gallery on TechnoBuffaloThe problem with wearables these days is simple: if the information they’re relaying to you isn’t accurate, they’re basically useless. That appears to be the case with the heart-rate monitors on Fitbit products, which were recently tested by California State Polytechnic University.
The school found, according to CNBC, that heart rates were sometimes off by as many as 20 beats per minute. That’s a crazy figure, especially considering this is the number people often use to judge workout intensity. It’s also dangerous to so inaccurately guess a user’s heart rate, and makes the number seem almost fictional.
“The PurePulse Trackers do not accurately measure a user’s heart rate, particularly during moderate to high intensity exercise, and cannot be used to provide a meaningful estimate of a user’s heart rate,” the study said, according to CNBC. The whole point of the study was to help provide data for use in a lawsuit against Fitbit, which argues that its wearables provide inaccurate data.
Fitbit isn’t as convinced, and it argues that the electrocardiogram used in the study for comparison might not have been tested for accuracy first. “Fitbit’s research team rigorously researched and developed PurePulse technology for three years prior to introducing it to market and continues to conduct extensive internal studies to test the features of our products,” the company said.
Source: CNBC