Valencell Delivers Breakthrough Heart Rate Accuracy on the Wrist

RALEIGH, N.C., June 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Valencell, a leader in performance biometric technology, today announced the results of a recent study that illustrates its PerformTek biometric technology delivers unmatched accuracy on the wrist during activity. In a study conducted at Valencell's Biometric Lab, PerformTek biometric technology was compared along with the Apple Watch against a chest strap – the benchmark for accurately measuring heart rate during activity. The study demonstrated that Valencell's biometric technology delivers heart rate measurements as accurate as the chest strap benchmark on the wrist during exercise and significantly outperformed the Apple Watch in all phases of testing.

"Accurately tracking and measuring heart rate is critical for users to track improvement in their overall fitness and optimize their activities. Additionally, precision is necessary for acute and chronic fitness assessments that rely on tracking heart rate recovery, heart rate variability, monitoring exercise efficiency, calorie use, and VO₂max," said Chris Eschbach, PhD, Director of Exercise Science and Clinical Trials at Valencell. "Our Biometrics Lab is committed to continuously testing the latest in fitness wearables to better understand the challenges and limitations of the current products on the market. Scientists at heart, we publish how we test and validate wearable sensors so that the academic community can reproduce the same experiments and challenge our results, ultimately promoting the best interests of public health."

The Valencell Biometrics Lab works with the Company's existing and new license partners looking to develop and validate biometric wearable products. For this study, 22 participants exercised while simultaneously wearing an Apple Watch, Valencell wrist sensor and Polar chest strap. Users each participated in a treadmill workout consisting of an 8-minute variable-intensity interval test. The Valencell technology showed an 82 percent accuracy rate with 18 of 22 participants receiving an accurate heart rate (heart rate within 5% of benchmark) reading during the test.

In addition to validating the accuracy of the Valencell biometric sensor technology for the wrist, the study revealed the Apple Watch failed to deliver accurate heart rate readings when users engaged in interval training. During the study, the Apple Watch showed an average of 47 percent accuracy rate, and only five participants received a highly accurate heart rate reading during the treadmill test.

"It's easy to be fooled by wrist-based heart rate monitors that appear to work well during rest or low activity levels, but the bones, tendons, muscles, and vascular structure of the wrist can interfere with the ability to accurately measure heart rate and other biometrics during exercise," said Dr. Steven LeBoeuf, President of Valencell. "Our biometrics experts recognized these challenges with the wrist and further developed Valencell's patented PerformTek biometric technology to deliver an accurate heart rate reading anywhere on the body, including the wrist — on anyone, at anytime, doing any activity."

Valencell licenses its PerformTek biometric sensor technology to companies looking to break into the exploding wearables market, which recently recorded its eighth consecutive quarter of steady growth. According to IDC, vendors shipped a total of 11.4 million wearables in the first quarter of 2015 alone — a 200 percent increase from the 3.8 million wearables shipped in the same quarter last year.

For more information about becoming a Valencell license partner, please visit http://valencell.com/licensing.

About Valencell
Valencell develops performance biometric sensor technology and licenses this patent-protected technology to consumer electronics manufacturers, mobile device and accessory makers, sports and fitness brands and gaming companies for integration into their products. Valencell's PerformTek biometric system is the most accurate wearable biometric sensor technology that continuously measures heart rate and activity. Valencell has invested years into research and development of its PerformTek sensor technology, which is now protected by dozens of granted patents and more than 60 patents pending. The technology has been independently validated by the Duke Center for Living, North Carolina State University, the Human Performance Laboratory and a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine.

SOURCE Valencell

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