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Instant Heart Rate for Android uses your phone camera to... tell you your heart rate
Instant Heart Rate, which is a free download from the Android Market, measures your heart rate by using your phone's built-in camera.Don't worry, though: you don't have to strip off and point the camera at your quivering chest or thundering carotid. All you have to do is cover the camera with your finger, make sure you're in a well-lit room (I pointed the camera towards a window), and voila! Within a few seconds your pulse is shown on the screen.
It works by measuring the color of your blood -- every time your heart beats, the blood in your finger is slightly more red. The app counts how many times the color changes per minute.
I 'scored' a rather sedate 55 beats per minute, which confirms what I've always suspected: I'm way too laid back. If you've got an Android phone, install the app and leave a comment with your heart rate! Maybe Download Squad puts us all at ease...
(There's also an iPhone version, but it costs $1.99 -- you get some other features for that price, though! Like a pretty graph...)
[via Androinica (and boy is that an odd name)]
Comments
12
Subscribe to commentsDuckOct 11th 2010 8:23AM
Did you confirm your result by manually checking your pulse?
Sebastian AnthonyOct 11th 2010 8:28AM
No -- but the last time I checked (manually) it was around 62 or so. I guess I am particularly relaxed this morning.
DuckOct 11th 2010 8:29AM
Terrible.
Go back, take your job seriously and do it again.
Sebastian AnthonyOct 11th 2010 8:47AM
Well I have quite a weak pulse -- it's fairly hard to measure at the best of times.
I should note that I was also under my morning caffeination -- and that I measured it four separate times with the app!
I hope that appeases you, fair sir.
gay readerOct 12th 2010 2:41AM
Why test something when we can just assume it works? I have this new app on my piece of paper that I wrote 60 mph on. One timed i was going 60 mph so I assume this piece of paper is an accurate speedometer and I'm going to write an article about it.
Sebastian AnthonyOct 12th 2010 5:26AM
You make a very good point... except... wait, you don't.
AdeOct 11th 2010 8:55AM
That's pretty cool! When can we expect to see a stethascope add on?
Sebastian AnthonyOct 12th 2010 5:27AM
Yeah, I was wondering the same thing! Surely a microphone can pick up sounds that the human ear can't normally hear... plus some signal processing... a stethoscope can't be too far away.
@davey_ladOct 11th 2010 4:32PM
Just gave this a shot... averaged around 75 ... sitting watching Come Dine With Me on tv. I'll keep this on my phone and try it at the next Sunderland match... my phone will probably explode !
Sebastian AnthonyOct 12th 2010 5:27AM
75!
I guess that's OK for someone of a slightly older bearing...
Try being a Tottenham fan...
@davey_ladOct 12th 2010 5:41AM
you had me worried so I've done some medical research... i'm normal
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse#Ranges
It's on wikipedia so it must be true.
As for being a Spurs fan... i'll gracefully decline thanks
HirayukiOct 12th 2010 4:53PM
I just got this app yesterday after spotting it on a Japanese best-of site. It gave me readings of 83/84 on (a finger from) one hand and 84/85 on the other. I then manually checked my carotid pulse: 84. Nice!