Revolutionizing smartphone gyrocardiography for heart rate monitoring: overcoming clinical validation hurdles

Front Cardiovasc Med. 2023 Aug 25:10:1237043. doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2023.1237043. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

Accurate heart rate (HR) measurement is crucial for optimal cardiac health, and while conventional methods such as electrocardiography and photoplethysmography are widely used for continuous daily monitoring, they may face practical limitations due to their dependence on external sensors and susceptibility to motion artifacts. In recent years, mechanocardiography (MCG)-based technologies, such as gyrocardiography (GCG) and seismocardiography (SCG), have emerged as promising alternatives to address these limitations. GCG has shown enhanced sensitivity and accuracy for HR detection compared to SCG, although its benefits are often overlooked in the context of the widespread use of accelerometers in HR monitoring applications. In this perspective, we aim to explore the potential and challenges of GCG, while recognizing that other technologies, including photoplethysmography and remote photoplethysmography, also have promising applications for HR monitoring. We propose a roadmap for future research to unlock the transformative capabilities of GCG for everyday heart rate monitoring.

Keywords: cardiac waveform; digital health; digital medicine; gyrocardiography; heart rate measurement; heart rate monitoring; public health; smartphone gyroscope.

Grants and funding

Open access funding by ETH Zurich.