ANT Forum

In theory it should be possible with the Peloton Bike Computer to stream BLE sensor data to Matlab:

https://forums.adafruit.com/viewtopic.php?f=65&t=166045

I suppose there are options available for an analog output of sensor data in Matlab.

Peter Gamma      

EKG data is not supported by any ANT+ profile.

Any manufacturer supporting this feature would be doing so with their own specification and you will need to get details from them on how to interoperate. However, I am not aware of any use of ANT for EKG.      

The Polar OH1 for instance delivers PPG data which are necessary for instance for respiratory rate estimation rate in Matlab, and I suppose also to determine heart rate variability. Is it not possible to get the raw PPG signal with ANT+ profiles?

Peter Gamma      

It is also not possible to get raw PPG signal through ANT+. The focus of ANT+ is low power consumer use cases. The data throughput requirements for raw EKG and PPG would demand much higher power consumption. Devices that calculate heart rate through the use of PPG transmit the same profile as traditional HR straps: the ANT+ HR profile. For heart rate variability (HRV) the optical sensor estimates beat timings for transmission via the ANT+ HR profile and displays calculate the HRV using the same method as for a traditional strap.      

If THIS IS ANT does not has and does not want the option to read out raw sensor data to get PPG or ECG peaks, then it can eventually be done by a BLE solution. Adafruit gives a hint that this can be done by modifying the library to intercept that data stream:

https://forums.adafruit.com/viewtopic.php?f=65&t=166045&start=15
     

I have not seen any support for PPG or EKG in published Bluetooth specifications.

Both ANT and Bluetooth are general wireless protocols that have further specifications that define how devices can share specific information with interoperability between devices. In the case of ANT, these further specifications are covered by ANT+. In the case of Bluetooth they are specifications such as the "Heart Rate Service". Think of ANT and Bluetooth as defining the sounds used in a vocal language, and ANT+ and specifications such as the "Hear Rate Service" as defining the words and sentence structure.

In ANT+ profiles we allow manufacturers to transmit additional information through manufacturer specific pages. This allows manufacturers to implement additional features for their own purposes. Sometimes manufacturers will start a feature in this way, but then submit to add the feature to the ANT+ profile specification once they are looking for broader adoption. Manufacturers can also choose to create their own ANT profiles outside of the ANT+ space.

Bluetooth similarly allows the development of solutions that are privately maintained.

In terms of vocal language these are equivalent to the creation of a make believe language within a group of children, or the creation of a new slang term that gains broader adoption after appearing in a popular movie.

It is possible that companies out there are communicating PPG and EKG via Bluetooth or ANT, but they are not using a specification shared with all ecosystem members.