Table 2.

Computational modalities of biometric monitoring technologies: advantages and disadvantages

Computational modality	Advantages	Disadvantages
Onboard microcontroller units/embedded firmware	Low power utilization Longer battery life Enables continuous data collection for long periods of time Smaller data transfer size	Limited computational capabilities; low random access memory (RAM) Loss of raw biosensor data Limited support for new algorithm development Real-time access to results often limited Uncommon to have direct access to Internet Limited data storage
Smartphone	Higher computational capabilities Ubiquity of smartphones Good battery life Advanced data displays Real-time display of results Access to Internet Waveform data viewable	Competing with other apps; limits available RAM Many different phone types; testing and user support can be difficult Real-time display requires radio connection to device Limited data storage
Cloud processing	Very high computational capabilities Deep learning algorithms are feasible Virtually unlimited data storage Enables development of advanced machine learning algorithms Raw data can be reprocessed Waveform data viewable	High bandwidth requirement for data transfer from device Lower device battery life Requires data storage host Higher end-to-end complexity