Validating a PPG Device for Estimating Heart Rate in Various Activity Conditions

Accurate monitoring of heart rate (HR) during various activities is crucial for assessing cardiovascular health and optimizing performance. In this study, we evaluated the accuracy of a wristband PPG device for estimating HR across different activity conditions. Seventeen subjects participated, each equipped with a wristband PPG device and an ECG as a reference, while performing office tasks, walking, jogging, and running. We compared the estimated HR provided by the PPG device to the HR estimated from the synchronously recorded ECG, calculating the relative errors ($E_{r}$) for each activity phase. During office tasks, 100% of the recordings exhibited $E_{r}$ below 10% and 5%. However, during walking, this percentage decreased to 69% and 63%, and further dropped to 50% and $\mathbf{3 8 \%}$ for jogging, respectively. In this work the HR provided by the wristband PPG device was validated. However, given that the device provides the raw PPG and accelerometer signals, further development of signal processing algorithms may improve HR estimation.