01 · RECORD
Cover the camera
Place your fingertip gently over the rear camera and flash.
Science behind Ovaria
Your camera can see each pulse.
Place your fingertip over the rear camera and flash. Ovaria uses photoplethysmography, or PPG, to detect the tiny changes in light created by each pulse and calculate your pulse rate.
One fingertip. One 60-second recording. A simple pulse-rate result designed for everyday wellness.
60
seconds · one recording
Pulse rateDetected pulse beats per minute
Signal qualityA check that the recording is clear enough
60 secondsOne complete fingertip recording
How it works
Light in. Pulse out.
As your heart beats, the amount of blood in your fingertip changes slightly. The flash provides light and the camera observes the changing reflection, creating a PPG signal that follows your pulse.
02 · DETECT
Follow each pulse
Ovaria follows the small changes in reflected light created by your pulse.
03 · RESULT
See your pulse rate
A result appears when the completed recording is clear enough to use.
Recording quality
Still finger. Clearer signal.
Camera recordings are sensitive to movement, pressure, light and fingertip temperature. Ovaria checks the recording quality before showing a result.
For a clearer recording
Keep contact steady
- Cover the camera and flash
- Rest your hand comfortably
- Keep your fingertip still
- Use gentle, consistent pressure
Try again when needed
Small changes matter
- Movement can interrupt the signal
- Cold hands can make detection harder
- Too much pressure can reduce the signal
- Camera hardware differs between phones
Research
Research behind the method.
Each source answers one part of the workflow—from detecting an optical pulse at the fingertip to finding individual beats in the recorded signal. Together, they inform Ovaria's capture, quality and pulse-rate design.
01 · Optical principle
Light follows changes in fingertip blood volume
Foundational PPG research describes how illuminated tissue changes its reflected light as peripheral blood volume rises and falls with each cardiac cycle.
Used in OvariaThe rear flash illuminates the fingertip while the camera observes pulse-related changes in reflected light.
02 · Phone capture
A smartphone camera can acquire a fingertip PPG signal
Systematic and prospective studies have compared rear-camera fingertip pulse-rate techniques with reference measurements, while OpenPPG demonstrates transparent RGB waveform acquisition on a phone.
Used in OvariaA 60-second contact recording provides the optical signal used to calculate pulse rate.
03 · Signal quality
Motion and contact quality shape the recording
Camera PPG research records motion alongside the optical signal and evaluates signal quality because movement, pressure and unstable contact can obscure pulse beats.
Used in OvariaRecording starts after stable contact and acceptable signal quality, and unreliable results are withheld.
04 · Beat detection
Pulse rate begins with reliable beat timing
Open-source detector benchmarks compare PPG beats with reference beat timings across multiple datasets. MSPTDfast develops that work into an efficient detector for locating pulse peaks.
Used in OvariaDetected beat intervals are converted into the pulse-rate result shown after a completed recording.
Selected publications
Primary and peer-reviewed sourcesPhotoplethysmography and Its Application in Clinical Physiological Measurement
DOI ↗Allen · Physiological Measurement · 2007
Foundational review of PPG principles, instrumentation and the physiological origin of the optical pulse signal.
Smartphone Apps Using Photoplethysmography for Heart Rate Monitoring: Meta-Analysis
DOI ↗De Ridder et al. · JMIR Cardio · 2018
Meta-analysis of 14 studies comparing smartphone PPG heart-rate results with ECG or pulse-oximeter references, primarily in adults at rest.
Prospective Validation of Smartphone-Based Heart Rate and Respiratory Rate Measurement Algorithms
DOI ↗Bae et al. · Communications Medicine · 2022
Prospective evaluation of its own rear-camera fingertip heart-rate algorithm across predefined skin-tone groups.
OpenPPG: Research Mobile App for PPG Waveform Acquisition Using Smartphone Camera With Raw Data Access
DOI ↗Soliński et al. · Computing in Cardiology · 2025
Describes smartphone acquisition of RGB pulse waveforms together with motion, signal-quality assessment and reproducible export.
Detecting Beats in the Photoplethysmogram: Benchmarking Open-Source Algorithms
DOI ↗Charlton et al. · Physiological Measurement · 2022
Benchmarks 15 open-source beat detectors against reference beats across eight datasets and documents the effect of motion on performance.
The MSPTDfast Photoplethysmography Beat Detection Algorithm: Design, Benchmarking, and Open-Source Distribution
DOI ↗Charlton et al. · Physiological Measurement · 2025
Presents the efficient, open-source MSPTDfast detector used to locate pulse beats in a completed signal.
Privacy by design
Camera video stays on your phone.
Camera frames are processed on the device and are not uploaded as camera video. Ovaria stores the derived pulse signal and recording result with your authenticated account.
For general wellness
A pulse result, not a diagnosis.
Ovaria's pulse-rate result is provided for general wellness information. It is not intended to diagnose or treat a medical condition or replace advice from a qualified healthcare professional.