There are plenty of heart rate monitors and apps that can help watch your heart rate, but the Cardiio takes health-monitoring in a new direction. It works by obtaining the BPM heart rate by simply pointing the iPhone’s front-facing camera at your face.
From here the app measures the light reflection of the skin, which apparently is affected by the blood that is flowing. This $5 app provides a BPM estimate without the need for a band or other monitor. While we question whether this is as good as a true heart rate, perhaps it is enough for you to use it to guilt your friends and love ones to hit the gym – especially as it offers a life expectancy estimator. Fear can be a powerful motivator!