Google Health encompasses the various Google teams that work to help people “lead healthier lives”. The latest effort allows you to measure your heart and respiratory rate using the Google Fit app and cameras on an Android phone.
To measure the number of breaths you take per minute, Google Fit is using the front camera on your Android device. The phone needs to be supported on a “stable surface so that you can see yourself comfortably from the waist up”. He needs to have a clear and unobstructed view of his head and upper torso.
Users are then taken to a full-screen UI with a live feed marking their face and chest, while the instructions above say that you should breathe normally and “stay still” while a circular indicator records progress. Once completed, “Your results” appear on the next screen, with the recently refurbished Google Fit Home feed featuring a new card that shows the average RPM over the previous week. A ‘more’ button in the upper right corner allows you to start another session.
Google is measuring your breathing rate, detecting small changes in your chest. The company touts advances in computer vision that make it possible to “track tiny physical signals at the pixel level”.
Meanwhile, measuring your heart rate involves placing your finger on the lens of the rear camera and applying light pressure. Flash is not required, but it can be activated to increase accuracy in dark environments. Once completed, users need to manually decide whether to save vital signs to Fit. Both measurements take 30 seconds, with users being advised to wait a few minutes after doing anything active. None of them requires an Internet connection to function.
Google is monitoring “subtle changes in the color of your fingers” to approximate blood flow. Heart rate algorithms consider lighting, skin tone, age and other factors. The Fit app explicitly tells users that:
“These results are not intended for medical purposes and should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or medical condition.”
That said, Google imagines measurements with the Fit camera as a useful way to “track and improve day-to-day well-being”. The company has completed initial clinical studies to validate these features. It will begin launching next month for Pixel owners who have the Fit app installed. Google plans to take these features to other Android devices in the future.
The announcement comes before a Google Health event – aptly named “The Checkup” – that starts in an hour. This Google Fit camera measurement feature is one of the most significant consumer-facing developments in the group after the launch of the Google Health Studies app last year.
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