ANT Forum

Hi, ANT+ newbie here.
Hoping to receive some support from this forum around some technical fesability.

Planning to create an event where +100 people would wear an ANT+ compatible wristband, the idea is to read everyone heartbeat in real-time and do a realtime data-viz with it.

The event will happen in a ~500 square meter room.

Few question:
- Does this seems feasable from a technical POV?
- Are there hardware available on the market to achieve such scale?
- On the receiver side, is it possible from a single antenna/usb receiver to read all +100 sensors?
- Is there anything on the software side that does this already? Happy to create custom software if not
- Anything else that I need to consider?

     

2 player games
Hi, ANT+ newbie here.
Hoping to receive some support from this forum around some technical fesability.

Planning to create an event where +100 people would wear an ANT+ compatible wristband, the idea is to read everyone heartbeat in real-time and do a realtime data-viz with it.

The event will happen in a ~500 square meter room.

Few question:
- Does this seems feasable from a technical POV?
- Are there hardware available on the market to achieve such scale?
- On the receiver side, is it possible from a single antenna/usb receiver to read all +100 sensors?
- Is there anything on the software side that does this already? Happy to create custom software if not
- Anything else that I need to consider?

Hello,
1. Yes, it is feasible to capture the heart rate data from over 100 ANT+ wristbands simultaneously and visualize it in real-time. ANT+ is a wireless protocol designed for low-power, low-latency communication, making it suitable for this type of application.
2. There are ANT+ compatible wristbands available on the market that can be used for heart rate monitoring. Some popular options include Garmin, Polar, and Wahoo fitness trackers. Ensure that the devices you choose support ANT+ heart rate transmission.
3. Typically, ANT+ receivers (e.g., USB dongles) are capable of capturing data from multiple devices simultaneously. However, the number of devices that can be reliably supported by a single receiver can vary depending on factors such as the receiver's specifications, the environment (including the presence of obstacles), and the distance between the devices and the receiver. It is recommended to consult the manufacturer's documentation or reach out to their support for guidance on the specific receiver you plan to use.
4. There are existing software solutions available for heart rate data visualization and analysis. Some fitness tracking platforms, such as Garmin Connect, Polar Flow, and Wahoo Fitness, provide built-in visualization capabilities. However, if you have specific requirements or want more customization, you may need to develop custom software using programming languages (e.g., Python, JavaScript) and visualization libraries (e.g., Matplotlib, D3.js) to process and visualize the data in real-time.      

A single USB receiver typically can't handle 100+ sensors. Depending on the subway surfers hardware, most consumer-grade receivers support fewer devices (8-20). You’d likely need several receivers, positioned at strategic points in the room, or a central hub with multiple antennas to cover the area effectively.

Considerations:

You may need to deploy several receivers to collect data from all participants, splitting them into different frequency channels or zones.
Some custom solutions use receiver arrays to extend the number of supported sensors in large events.      

@escape road Your idea sounds really interesting! It is definitely feasible from a technical point of view to have over 100 people wearing ANT+ compatible wristbands and to read their heartbeats in real-time. There are hardware options available on the market that can support this scale, and it is possible to use a single antenna/USB receiver to read all 100+ sensors.

     

This setup might not be ideal. Besides ANT+ devices, phones and other Bluetooth devices also use the 2.4GHz band, which can cause interference and affect performance.

You can learn more here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ANT_(network)      

Your plan to track real-time heartbeats from 100 ANT+ wristbands in a 500 square meter room is technically feasible, but you'll need to ensure you have the right hardware, like a capable USB receiver that can handle multiple connections, slope ball and consider potential interference, data processing, and visualization software to manage the data effectively.