Heart-rate hoodie update: Don’t get your hopes up.

29 Apr 2011

Check out that mess on the breadboard. Look at all that delicious electrical tape. Yeah, that’s the stuff. While my circuit is completely correct, the IR emitter/detector diodes are finnicky. Without adhering to very specific and difficult-to-achieve circumstances, they won’t react to each other. It’s quite possible I’ll need to pick a different trigger circuit — got suggestions? Let’s hear ‘em.

 

But, on the lighter side of things, the hoodie’s been made and the servos have been sewn in. Will let you know how the mechanical aspects go later this week. The project is due to be completed by Monday the 9th.

5 comments

  • Eric Boyd - 29 April, 2011

    Eli – I spent a lot of time working with various sensors to detect heart rate for my Heart Spark (and the Pulse Choker project which preceded it). Like you I found that it’s possible to get things to work if you sit perfectly still and control all conditions, getting something to work while you move around, the lighting changes, etc is a whole ‘nother world. In the end I went with off-the-shelf Polar Chest Straps and this receiver: http://www.sparkfun.com/products/8660. It just works, which is wonderful.

  • eli skipp - 29 April, 2011

    Hi Eric,

    The Polar chest-strap is outside of my means re: cost and deadline. Do you have any advice for making this particular attempt more reliable?

  • Drew - 29 April, 2011

    Cool project! what IR emitter/detector parts did you use?

    I’m curious as we’ve been trying to do similar with the PS:One Biosensor Array project for the element14 Great Global Hackerspace Challenge. Though I think we might end up just interpolating heart rate from the EKG sensor which is working ok thankfully.

    And I bought Eric’s awesome HeartSpark and the recommended Polar chest strap for my girlfriend couple months ago and it does work great. I did order the OEM Polar chip from SparkFun since she wanted to do some prototyping for yoga but haven’t gotten around to that yet. I can bring by PS:One if ya ever interested in seeing the HeartSpark/Polar stuff (you’re still in Chicago right?).

    Cheers,
    Drew

  • Drew - 29 April, 2011

    Oh, and we have multiple QRE/QRD IR reflectanance breakout boards from SparkFun & TLS230 light to frequency chips at the space for the GGHC project if you want to take a look. The deadline is Tuesday and Oximeter is up in there air currently as not sure if anyone will have to time to finish that sensor.

  • Nolan - 30 April, 2011

    I’d have to try a microphone strapped to your chest.

Add comment