Heart Beat Sensor Using Arduino | DIY BPM Monitor
Monitoring heart rate is a vital part of tracking health and fitness. With advancements in sensor technology and open-source platforms, you can now create your own DIY heart beat monitor using Arduino. Techatronic’s tutorial offers a beginner-friendly approach to building a heart rate monitoring system that displays BPM (Beats Per Minute) in real-time using a pulse sensor and Arduino Uno.
Project OverviewThe heart beat sensor project is based on the use of a pulse sensor, which detects the heartbeat through changes in blood flow in the fingertip. This sensor sends analog signals to the Arduino board, which processes them and displays the BPM on the serial monitor.
This project is perfect for students, electronics hobbyists, or anyone interested in building their own biomedical monitoring system. It’s simple, effective, and does not require any complex components.
Required ComponentsTo complete this project, you will need the following:
Arduino Uno
- Arduino Uno
Pulse Sensor (KY-039 or PulseSensor.com version)
- Pulse Sensor (KY-039 or PulseSensor.com version)
Jumper wires
- Jumper wires
Breadboard (optional)
- Breadboard (optional)
USB cable and computer with Arduino IDE
- USB cable and computer with Arduino IDE
The pulse sensor has three pins: VCC (power), GND (ground), and Signal (analog output). It's placed on the fingertip or earlobe to detect the heartbeats.
Working PrincipleThe pulse sensor detects the pulse rate by sensing the blood flow under the skin. Every heartbeat causes a change in the light intensity passing through the blood vessels. The sensor reads this change and converts it into an analog signal.
Here’s how the system works:
The user places their fingertip on the pulse sensor.
- The user places their fingertip on the pulse sensor.
The sensor outputs analog voltage signals corresponding to each heartbeat.
- The sensor outputs analog voltage signals corresponding to each heartbeat.
Arduino reads the analog data through an analog pin.
- Arduino reads the analog data through an analog pin.
A simple program calculates the heart rate in beats per minute (BPM) by measuring the time interval between pulses.
- A simple program calculates the heart rate in beats per minute (BPM) by measuring the time interval between pulses.
The BPM is displayed on the serial monitor of the Arduino IDE.
- The BPM is displayed on the serial monitor of the Arduino IDE.
Techatronic provides the Arduino sketch used to process the pulse data. The code includes functions to detect peaks in the signal (heartbeats) and calculate BPM by measuring time between pulses using the millis()
function.
The output is continuously updated, giving a live reading of the user’s pulse rate. Users can modify the code to add features like LCD display, data logging, or alert systems if abnormal heart rates are detected.
Applications and Use CasesThis DIY BPM monitor is a great introduction to health-tech projects. Some practical applications include:
Personal health monitoring
- Personal health monitoring
School science or engineering projects
- School science or engineering projects
Fitness gadgets
- Fitness gadgets
Low-cost medical kits in rural areas
- Low-cost medical kits in rural areas
It’s important to note that while this project gives a good estimation of heart rate, it’s not a substitute for medical-grade equipment.
ConclusionTechatronic’s heart beat sensor tutorial is a simple yet powerful way to learn how biosensors interact with microcontrollers. Using just a few components and some basic code, you can create a fully functional BPM monitor at home. Whether you’re learning Arduino or exploring health-tech, this project is an excellent place to start.
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