heart rate sensor

[nongfu]

Hi everyone,

I hope this is the right place for this, please move the thread if not. I'm currently doing my undergraduate studies in engineering and as part of the studies I'm working in a team researching the use of sensors in wearables. I'm particularly interested in the heart rate sensor.

Can any of you share your experiences on how accurate you have found it to be? Also, I read some reports that the band is rather uncomfortable to wear, in part due to the sensor at the bottom. Can anyone confirm this?

Lastly, I've been trying to get in touch with people working on the sensors at MS along with a few other wearables companies. If anyone has any contacts they could put me in touch with, it would be of tremendous help!

Thank you for any replies already!

 

[poit57]

The first unit I received had a faulty heart rate monitor. It would read anywhere from 15 to 30 bpm too high. I've had two replacement units since then. The first replacement unit seemed to be very accurate, but I had to have it replaced when the touch screen stopped working. The second replacement that I've been using for about 3 months is mostly accurate, but it sometimes takes 30 seconds to a minute between the time it shows that it has "locked" on my heart rate and the time that the reading matches my pulse.

As for comfort, I was not wearing a watch prior to getting the Band, but it didn't really take any "getting used to." I have not had any comfort issues. I wear it all day except when showering or if it needs a charge. I also wear it regularly to track my sleep and it hasn't bothered me.