Wi-Fi signals 'can measure heart rates without wearables'
Researchers have discovered that Wi-Fi signals can be used to detect and measure heart rates without the need for wearable gadgets.
Wi-Fi signals can be used to measure heart rates without wearables, according to a new study.
Engineers at the University if California-Santa Cruz have been working on a new project called Pulse-Fi, with Wi-Fi signals being used to monitor people's heart rates without using a smartwatch or chest strap.
The study reads: "Non-intrusive monitoring of vital signs such as heart rate is critical to improving elderly care and early health intervention.
"Long-term care and healthcare institutions increasingly need systematic, continuous accuracy that is easy to deploy.
"Wi-Fi signals offer unique advantages: they penetrate walls, are ubiquitous indoors and avoid camera-based privacy concerns."
Early data in the study suggests ordinary wireless devices could be used as health sensors in a way that makes use of how Wi-Fi signals interact with the body.
Every time a signal passes through, subtle ripples are created by the heartbeat which slightly change the Wi-Fi wave.
These tiny alterations can be captured with a transmitter and receiver, while a machine-learning model can pinpoint the variations.
According to the research, inexpensive hardware is still powerful enough for the system, and tests showed in just five seconds, Pulse-Fi can read heart rate within half a beat a minute.
The system also remained accurate regardless of whether the person was standing up, sitting, or lying down.
It also worked up to three metres away.
