Information

Pulca's health measurements use clinically validated remote photoplethysmography (rPPG) technology to analyze subtle changes in facial skin color via your device's camera. All computations are performed securely on your device. Our metrics are supported by peer-reviewed science and clinical validation.

Heart Rate

Measures the average number of heartbeats per minute, which reflects the current state of the autonomic nervous system and may be indicative of cardiovascular fitness.
Resource: Clinical validation by Wroclaw Medical University (2023). Demonstrated 99.9% accuracy (≤1 bpm error) compared to ECG measurements.
Citation: Okupnik T, Paleczny B. "Contactless measurement of heart rate, heart rate variability and breathing rate based on facial video analysis." Wroclaw Medical University, 2023.

Heart Rate Variability (HRV)

Analyzes variations between consecutive heartbeats, providing insights into autonomic nervous system function and stress resilience.
Resource: Clinical validation by Wroclaw Medical University (2023). RMSE of 6.3ms for SDNN and 0.38 for InRMSSD compared to ECG.
Citation: Okupnik T, Paleczny B. "Contactless measurement of heart rate, heart rate variability and breathing rate based on facial video analysis." Wroclaw Medical University, 2023.

Breathing Rate

Measures breaths per minute, reflecting respiratory status and indirectly stress level.
Resource: Clinical validation by Wroclaw Medical University (2023). 97% of measurements with error ≤5 bpm compared to impedance pneumography.
Citation: Okupnik T, Paleczny B. "Contactless measurement of heart rate, heart rate variability and breathing rate based on facial video analysis." Wroclaw Medical University, 2023.

Stress Index

A metric derived from heart rate variability analysis, reflecting the balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system.
Resource: Modified version of Baevsky's method, analyzing the distribution of heartbeat intervals derived from HRV.
Citation: "Remote photoplethysmography for cardiovascular monitoring." PubMed, PMID: 29897880.

Parasympathetic Activity

Measures the influence of the "rest and digest" branch of the autonomic nervous system, indicating recovery and relaxation states.
Resource: Spectral analysis methodology for HRV calculation as validated in clinical research.
Citation: "Remote photoplethysmography for cardiovascular monitoring." PubMed, PMID: 29897880.

For more information: https://pulcaapp.com/scientific-research.html

Further Reading on Remote Photoplethysmography (rPPG):

Cardiac Workload

Cardiac Workload shows how hard your heart is working by looking at your heart rate and blood pressure together. Understanding this can help you see the overall stress on your heart, with lower values generally indicating less strain.

Resource: Hetzenecker A, Buchner S, Greimel T, Satzl A, Luchner A, Debl K, et al. Cardiac workload in patients with sleep-disordered breathing early after acute myocardial infarction. Chest. 2013;143:1294-301

Blood Pressure (Systolic and Diastolic)

Blood Pressure measures the force of blood on your artery walls and is a key sign of your cardiovascular health. It's given as two numbers: systolic (the pressure when your heart beats) and diastolic (the pressure when your heart rests). Pulca estimates your blood pressure through the simple face scan to help you keep track of this important health indicator.

Resource: McEvoy JW, McCarthy CP, Bruno RM, Brouwers S, Canavan MD, Ceconi C, Christodorescu RM, Daskalopoulou SS, Ferro CJ, Gerdts E, Hanssen H, Harris J, Lauder L, McManus RJ, Molloy GJ, Rahimi K, Regitz-Zagrosek V, Rossi GP, Sandset EC, Scheenaerts B, Staessen JA, Uchmanowicz I, Volterrani M, Touyz RM; ESC Scientific Document Group. 2024 ESC Guidelines for the management of elevated blood pressure and hypertension. Eur Heart J. 2024 Oct 7;45(38):3912-4018

Body Mass Index (BMI)

Your BMI is a measure of body weight relative to height and is commonly used to classify underweight, healthy weight, overweight, and obesity in adults.
BMI is calculated using the classic formula with user-input height and weight:
BMI = weight(kg) / height(m)2

BMI Classification Ranges (WHO/CDC):

Underweight<18.5
Normal weight18.5–24.9
Overweight25.0–29.9
Obesity class I30.0–34.9
Obesity class II35.0–39.9
Obesity class III≥40.0

Learn more:
- Keys, A., Fidanza, F., Karvonen, M. J., Kimura, N., & Taylor, H. L. (1972). Indices of relative weight and obesity. Journal of Chronic Diseases, 25(6), 329–343. https://doi.org/10.1016/0021-9681(72)90027-6
- World Health Organization
- CDC