Reliability of the BodyGuard2 (FirstBeat) in the Detection of Heart Rate Variability

There has been an increasing interest in using cardiac indicators of self-regulation in developmental science. Many researchers are interested in unobtrusive mobile devises that are able to collect reliable cardiac data outside of the laboratory setting. Although numerous new ambulatory devices have become available over the last decade, testing these devices on children in comparison to industry gold-standard devices is rarely conducted. The current study evaluated the reliability of one of these ambulatory systems, the BodyGuard2 (FirstBeat), relative to gold-standard laboratory electrocardiogram (Biopac MP150), during active and resting conditions in 4- to 6-year-old children. The BodyGuard2 performed and produced highly similar indices of heart rate variability across resting and active conditions.