From a simple face scan, Helfie’s Heart Rate AI measures heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), blood oxygen saturation (SpO₂), and respiratory rate (RR). The results give you a clearer view of your cardiovascular and respiratory health.
Mean error compared with regulated medical devices.
How it worksHeart Rate AI
Your smartphone camera detects subtle changes in skin colour caused by blood flowing through the vessels beneath your skin.
During a facial scan, Helfie’s Heart Rate AI captures changes in the light reflected from your face as blood flow changes with each heartbeat.
It then uses remote photoplethysmography (rPPG) to analyse the pulse signals those changes create and measure your heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), blood oxygen saturation (SpO₂), and respiratory rate (RR), using clinically validated technology.
Your dedicated Health Intelligence (HI) then provides an assessment of your heart health, along with personalised insights that can guide your next steps.
Heart rate, or pulse, is the number of times your heart beats per minute. A normal adult range is 60 to 100 bpm, though this varies by age and fitness level. Below 60 bpm is bradycardia; above 100 bpm is tachycardia.Read More…
Why check heart rate?
Helfie checks heart rate because it's a key indicator of overall health and fitness, as it can provide information about the heart’s ability to pump blood efficiently. A slow rate can signal high fitness or an underactive thyroid. A fast rate can point to stress, an overactive thyroid, or anaemia. Regular heart rate tracking may help to monitor unusual variations that may affect heart health or be indicative of other issues.
The science.
In a peer-reviewed study of the underlying camera-based technology, 240 heart rate readings showed a mean error of -1.19 bpm compared with regulated medical devices. Read the study in Cureus (2022).
What is heart rate variability (HRV)?
HRV measures the variation in time between each heartbeat. It’s a key marker of cardiovascular health and reflects how well your autonomic nervous system, which controls heart rate, blood pressure, and digestion, is functioning.Read More…
Why check HRV?
Heart rate variability (HRV) can help monitor your cardiovascular health, stress levels, recovery, sleep quality, and physical performance. Tracking HRV with Helfie provides insight into the functioning of the autonomic nervous system and cardiac function. Over time, it can help identify changes in wellbeing and track progress in health and fitness.
The science.
In a peer-reviewed study of the underlying camera-based technology, 332 HRV readings recorded a mean absolute error of 9.49 ms for inter-beat interval (IBI) and 14.35 ms for SDNN. Results remained consistent across different skin tones. Read the study in Cureus (2023).
What is respiratory rate?
Respiratory rate is the number of breaths you take per minute. A normal adult range is 12 to 20 breaths per minute, though this varies by age and fitness level. Fewer than 12 breaths per minute is called bradypnea, while more than 20 is known as tachypnea.Read More…
Why check respiratory rate?
Helfie helps monitor respiratory rate, which can aid in assessing lung function and overall health. Changes may indicate issues such as respiratory infections or metabolic disorders. Abnormal respiratory rates can also be caused by factors such as exercise, stress, medical conditions, and medications.
The science.
In a peer-reviewed study of the underlying camera-based technology, 224 respiratory rate readings showed a mean error of -2.11 breaths per minute compared with regulated medical devices. Read the study in Cureus (2022).
What is blood oxygen?
Blood oxygen saturation (SpO₂) is the percentage of haemoglobin in your blood carrying oxygen. Haemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells that transports oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body.Read More…
Why check blood oxygen?
Checking blood oxygen saturation with Helfie provides valuable information about the functioning of your respiratory and cardiovascular systems.
Low SpO₂ can point to respiratory issues like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Changes in oxygen saturation can indicate changes in cardiac function and may be an early warning sign of heart disease.
The science.
In a peer-reviewed study of the underlying camera-based technology, 235 blood oxygen readings showed a mean error of +0.3 percentage points compared with regulated medical devices. Read the study in Cureus (2022).
Got a question? Just ask.
Your personal Health Intelligence (HI) is always there, ready to provide clarity and deeper insights.
Whether you’re curious about your heart rate, HRV, or want to better understand your results, just type or talk to your Health Intelligence to dig deeper and learn more about your heart health.
Helfie’s Heart Rate AI is designed to make regular cardiovascular health monitoring fast and accessible. It uses validated camera-based technology to estimate key vital signs, while your Health Intelligence (HI) helps you track results and trends over time.
Accuracy Mean error compared with reference devices:
Helfie R&D Labs. Adapted from published, peer-reviewed clinical research. Read more about the science HERE
How does Helfie track changes in your heart health over time?
Your Health Intelligence (HI) connects information from your scans, chats, and uploads to build a clearer picture of your heart health over time. It analyses your readings, identifies trends, and tracks changes instead of treating each check as an isolated snapshot.
This can help you monitor improvements, notice potential warning signs, and understand how changes in sleep, exercise, stress, and other lifestyle factors may be affecting your vital signs.
How does Health Intelligence work?
Helfie’s Health Intelligence (HI) brings together information from your health checks, conversations, uploads, and history, then connects it with a vast body of medical knowledge to build an increasingly informed picture of your health.
Rather than relying on a single AI model or looking at each result in isolation, HI uses multiple layers of intelligence and machine learning to interpret health signals, connect related information across different areas of your health, and understand those results in the context of you.
It also maintains an active memory of your health journey, so previous results, patterns, and interactions can inform what comes next.
The result is intelligence that is personal, contextual, and designed to help you better understand and manage your health over time.
How do checks and conversations work together?
A health check gives your Health Intelligence new information about you. You can then talk to your HI about those results, ask what they mean, explore possible reasons for changes, and understand them in the context of previous checks and health history.
The conversation also becomes part of that context. So when you check again later, your HI can consider both your new results and what it’s learned from earlier checks and conversations. This is how it builds a more detailed, connected picture of your health over time.
Can I share Heart Rate AI results with my GP?
Helfie makes it easy to share check results and health trends with your doctor or healthcare provider, giving them a broader view than a single reading taken in a clinic.
This additional context can help them understand changes in your heart rate, HRV, blood oxygen saturation, and respiratory rate over time.
Sharing your trends gives your healthcare provider more information to support better-informed decisions.
The science behind Heart Rate AI.
Helfie’s checks are backed by the latest research and science.
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