Photoplethysmography News and Research

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Photoplethysmography (PPG) is a simple optical technique used to detect volumetric changes in blood in peripheral circulation. It is a low cost and non-invasive method that makes measurements at the surface of the skin.

Wearable electroceutical platform enables remote wireless pain management

A "wearable electroceutical" has been developed that could reduce the need to visit a hospital or rely on painkillers every time pain occurs.

15 Sep 2026

Swimming sends wrist-worn heart rate monitors off track

Researchers created an open-access dataset comparing two wrist-worn heart rate monitors with a chest-strap reference during dry-land exercise and swimming. Both smartwatches performed substantially worse underwater, highlighting the challenges water poses to optical heart rate monitoring and providing a resource for future research on aquatic wearables.

12 Aug 2026

Pulse-wave tracking at home catches spontaneous normal heart rhythms early

Smartphone-based heart rhythm monitoring from home can reduce same-day cancellations and help save significant healthcare resources ahead of planned electrical cardioversion in patients with atrial fibrillation. This is shown in a new study published in JAMA Cardiology by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Danderyd Hospital.

4 Jun 2026

AI turns everyday smartphone use into passive heart-rate tracking

Researchers developed Passive Heart-Rate Monitoring, a deep-learning smartphone system that estimates heart rate and daily resting heart rate from eight-second facial videos captured during normal phone use. Validated on more than 160,000 videos, the system met accuracy targets across skin-tone groups, although usable measurement rates were lower in the darkest skin-tone group and clinical use still requires further testing.

2 Jun 2026

New wristband algorithm detects sudden cardiac arrest with high accuracy

A smart-technology wearable wristband device may be able to automatically detect cardiac arrest, which could lead to faster medical assistance and increased survival odds when cardiac arrest occurs outside of a hospital, according to new research published today in Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, a peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Heart Association.

19 May 2026

Textile-based system advances real-world cardiovascular monitoring

Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading global cause of mortality, claiming nearly 18 million lives each year.

26 Feb 2026

Alignment-free knitted sleeve for comprehensive cardiovascular monitoring

Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading global cause of mortality, claiming nearly 18 million lives each year.

12 Feb 2026

Sleeping in a warm bedroom strains older hearts overnight

New research links warmer nighttime temperatures to impaired heart recovery in older adults, highlighting a critical health risk of rising temperatures.

13 Jan 2026

Cuffless blood pressure devices show great promise as alternatives to traditional arm-cuff monitors

Cuffless devices to measure blood pressure, such as smartwatches, rings, patches and fingertip monitors, show great promise as alternatives to traditional arm-cuff monitors, however, they are not yet proven accurate enough to diagnose high blood pressure or guide treatment decisions, according to a new scientific statement published today in the American Heart Association's journal Hypertension.

11 Dec 2025

Accuracy of remote photoplethysmography drops sharply at elevated heart rates

Researchers at Bielefeld University have analyzed how reliably AI methods can detect pulse rates from simple video recordings.

9 Dec 2025

Noninvasive Raman device tracks blood glucose accurately in under a minute

MIT researchers developed a compact band-pass Raman spectroscopy device that noninvasively tracks glucose through the skin in under a minute using physically interpretable optical signals. In a pilot study and tissue phantom validation, the system showed glucose measurements comparable to commercial continuous glucose monitors, supporting further clinical evaluation.

7 Dec 2025

Wearable health trackers reveal how accurate your smartwatch really is

Researchers compare the different health parameters measured by common wearable sensors used by consumers.

8 Sep 2025

Flexible smart heater delivers real-time thermal therapy for joint pain

Arthritis causes persistent inflammation and pain in the joints, affecting mobility and quality of life for millions.

13 Jun 2025

New wearable device offers hope for better sleep apnea management

A wearable pulse oximeter and connected software platform show promise for monitoring obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and other sleep-related breathing diseases, according to research presented at the ATS 2025 International Conference.

19 May 2025

Wearable ultrasound sensor revolutionizes continuous blood pressure monitoring

Researchers validated a novel wearable ultrasound blood pressure (BP) sensor, confirming its accuracy and safety across diverse clinical settings.

24 Nov 2024

Researchers identify a less-invasive approach to measure intracranial pressure in patients

Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers have published new research that reports on a potential alternative and less-invasive approach to measure intracranial pressure (ICP) in patients.

23 Jul 2024