Tag: heart rate monitoring

  • Apple Watch Series 12 Rumors: All-Day Heart Rate, Ceramic Option, and More Health Upgrades

    Apple Watch Series 12 Rumors: All-Day Heart Rate, Ceramic Option, and More Health Upgrades

    Apple’s upcoming Watch Series 12 could bring major health upgrades, including all-day heart-rate monitoring and improved hypertension alerts, while retaining a familiar design and adding a premium ceramic finish. The device is expected to debut at Apple’s September 9, 2026 event alongside the Apple Watch Ultra 4.

    Familiar Design with a Premium Touch

    According to reports from Bloomberg and MacRumors, the Series 12 will keep the classic Apple Watch shape rather than undergo a full redesign. Apple has reportedly tested ceramic cases in white and dark gray, last seen on the Series 5 in 2019. The ceramic version could command a significantly higher price, potentially starting around $1,299 as the previous ceramic Edition model did.

    New Chip Boosts Performance and AI Capabilities

    After the Series 11 retained the S10 chip, the Series 12 is expected to feature a new S-class processor, possibly named S11 or S12 and linked to the T8320 architecture. This upgrade should deliver faster app response, better energy efficiency, and stronger support for Apple Intelligence features, including Siri AI enhancements in watchOS 27.

    Always-On Heart Rate: A Game Changer for Health Tracking

    Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple has tested a system capable of collecting heart-rate data continuously throughout the day. Current models only take readings at intervals outside dedicated apps like Heart Rate, Mindfulness, and Workout. A constant stream of data could enable deeper insights into daily health patterns, recovery metrics, and resting heart rate trends, bringing Apple closer to dedicated fitness trackers like WHOOP.

    Enhanced Hypertension Notifications

    Apple may also refine its hypertension alert system. Reports indicate the FDA has reviewed an upgrade for Series 12 that uses sensor data and health trends to flag potential high blood pressure signs—without functioning as a traditional cuff. This builds on existing features for hypertension and sleep apnea, offering more actionable context.

    Clearer Health and Fitness Dashboard

    A redesigned Health and Fitness experience is rumored, with a new dashboard that consolidates wellness data in a single, intuitive view. The focus would shift from isolated readings to long-term patterns in heart rate, activity, sleep, and more, making health data more accessible and useful.

    What’s Not Coming: Blood Glucose and Touch ID

    Blood glucose monitoring remains a long-term goal, but Series 12 is not expected to include it; reports point to a timeline around 2030. Touch ID on the watch is also unlikely for this generation, and a major case redesign may wait for a later model.

    Pricing and Availability

    The standard Series 12 is expected to launch at $399 to $449, similar to the Series 11. A ceramic edition would cost much more. Apple will confirm details on September 9, 2026. The event should also reveal specifics on the chip, health sensors, battery life, and release date.

    Series 12 looks set to be a health-focused upgrade rather than a design revolution. With a faster chip, constant heart-rate tracking, better hypertension alerts, and a clearer wellness dashboard, it could strengthen Apple’s role in daily health management.

  • Google’s AI Uses Smartphone Camera for Passive Heart Rate Monitoring with Medical Accuracy

    Google’s AI Uses Smartphone Camera for Passive Heart Rate Monitoring with Medical Accuracy

    Google researchers have developed a new deep-learning system that can passively measure a user’s heart rate through a smartphone’s front-facing camera during normal device use. The technology, described in recently published research, aims to bring medical-grade heart rate monitoring to billions of people without requiring any wearable hardware.

    Resting heart rate is a key biomarker linked to cardiovascular health and long-term disease risk. High resting heart rate is associated with adverse cardiovascular events and certain chronic conditions. With roughly five billion smartphones worldwide already equipped with the necessary camera hardware, the potential for widespread passive health monitoring is significant.

    How the System Works

    The system, called passive heart rate monitoring (PHRM), uses the front-facing camera to record short video clips of the user’s face. A temporal shift convolutional neural network then analyzes these clips to estimate heart rate. The method relies on detecting subtle changes in light reflection caused by blood pulsing through the skin—a technique known as remote photoplethysmography (rPPG).

    According to Google, the system achieves a mean absolute percentage error of less than 10%, meeting industry accuracy standards across all skin tones. “To our knowledge, PHRM marks the first large-scale demonstration of passive HR and daily RHR monitoring during everyday smartphone use,” said Eric S. Teasley, Product Manager, and Ming-Zer Poh, Staff Research Scientist at Google Research.

    The researchers added: “As the only rPPG method to meet heart rate accuracy standards for people of all skin tones – even in unpredictable real-world conditions – it sets a new standard for the field. It also represents the first use of rPPG to estimate daily RHR, achieving wearable-level accuracy across all skin tones.”

    Diverse Training Data and Real-World Testing

    Previous studies in this area have often underrepresented people with dark skin, as melanin can make optical signals harder to detect. To address this, Google’s team built their model using more than 350,000 video clips from nearly 700 participants. The Monk Skin Tone Scale was used to ensure diverse representation: participants with light and medium skin tones each comprised at least 25% of the datasets, while those with dark skin tones made up at least 33%. This makes it the largest and most diverse rPPG study to date.

    The system was tested in both laboratory and real-world conditions. In the lab, researchers recorded facial video and simultaneous electrocardiogram (ECG) data from 365 participants, and the PHRM system outperformed 15 leading published rPPG models. In a real-world study, 231 participants installed a data collection app on their phones and used them normally while wearing an ECG chest strap and a Fitbit tracker. The app captured an average of 231 video clips per day.

    The researchers note that further optimization of camera exposure and handling of excessive head movement could improve performance. Google plans to make its data and modeling resources available to qualified researchers.