City Research Online

Abstract

Photoplethysmography (PPG) underpins a rapidly expanding ecosystem of wearable devices that promise continuous, non-invasive cardiovascular monitoring. Yet, despite widespread adoption, the field lacks consensus on how PPG signals should be acquired, processed, validated, and reported. This fragmentation limits reproducibility, obscures performance claims, and hinders clinical translation. We argue that standardization across the PPG pipeline, from hardware design to algorithmic interpretation, is essential for transforming wearable optical sensing from a consumer technology into a clinically trusted modality. We outline key sources of variability, identify critical gaps in current practice, and propose a coordinated roadmap to enable reproducible science, regulatory clarity, and equitable deployment.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2026 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Publisher Keywords:	Photoplethysmography (PPG), Standardization, Regulation, Wearables, Clinical translation
Subjects:	Q Science > QP Physiology R Medicine T Technology > TK Electrical engineering. Electronics Nuclear engineering
Departments:	School of Science & Technology > Department of Engineering
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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