Your wearable might be prejudiced
Ruth Hailu for Stat News:
Fitbits, Samsung watches, and several other brands rely on only green lights. These lights are simpler and cheaper to use than infrared lights.
In short: Skin with more melanin blocks green light, making it harder to get an accurate reading. The darker your skin is, the harder it gets.
Researchers, health insurance providers, employers and more all use these trackers for a variety of purposes – some trivial, many not. This is a perfect example of all the bias that sneak into things like health and tech. That’s not to say it’s intentional but they’re there all the same.
As for the Apple Watch:
Apple, meanwhile, explained that while its devices rely on green light for continuous monitoring, the device also takes a reading with an infrared light roughly every five minutes.
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