How accurate are wearables?
To establish how accurate wearables are, we need to compare them to “gold standard” measurements.
HEART RATE
Electrocardiograms (ECG) are the gold standard measurement of heart rate and heart rate variability. It collects the electrical activity of the heart to evaluate each component of the heartbeat.
TOTAL SLEEP
Polysomnography is the gold standard measurement of sleep. Usually conducted in a laboratory, PSG uses electrodes to measure brain activity, eye movements, and muscle tone to collect sleep data.
The AIS completed a study with Central Queensland University to establish how accurate wearables, commonly used by athletes, were compared to gold standard.
Compared to PSG-derived sleep: Detecting sleep: 97% Detecting wake: 26% | Compared to PSG-derived sleep: Detecting sleep: 98% Detecting wake: 27% | Compared to PSG-derived sleep: Detecting sleep: 98% Detecting wake: 27% | Compared to PSG-derived sleep: Detecting sleep: 98% Detecting wake: 27% | Compared to PSG-derived sleep: Sensitivity for sleep: 90% Detecting wake: 56% |
Compared to ECG-derived heart rate: Absolute difference: 1.5 bpm | Compared to ECG-derived heart rate: Absolute difference: 5.4 bpm | Compared to ECG-derived heart rate: Absolute difference: 1.5 bpm | Compared to ECG-derived heart rate: Absolute difference: 1.8 bpm | Compared to ECG-derived heart rate: Absolute difference: 0.7 bpm |
Compared to ECG-derived heart rate variability: Absolute difference: 22.5ms | Compared to ECG-derived heart rate variability: Absolute difference: 33.1ms | Compared to ECG-derived heart rate variability: Absolute difference: 18.8ms | Compared to ECG-derived heart rate variability: Absolute difference: 18.9ms | Compared to ECG-derived heart rate variability: Absolute difference: 4.7ms |
Overview What do wearables measure? How do wearables measure human performance? How accurate are wearables?