A simple (kind of jank) solution for capturing and streaming heartrate to VRChat or other osc applications without lizard middle-men
This is a DIY hardware project. It requires soldering, 3D printing, and at least a basic knowledge of working with VRChat systems
You'll have to get your paws a little dirty building some rudimentary hardware to get this up and running.
I'd recommend using an ESP32 WROOM dev board (like this one) and a MAX30102 pulse oximeter (like this one)
Please note: whatever board you use must have onboard Wifi and support for Arduino Core.
To connect the pulse oximeter to the board, connect/solder these pins:
| MAX30102 | ESP32 GPIO |
|---|---|
| VIN/VCC | 3.3V |
| GND | GND |
| SDA | 21 |
| SDL | 22 |
Then you'll need to install Arduino IDE 2 or Arduino Cli and the ESP32 board extension, then configure your wifi SSID, password, and the ip address of the server in Firmware.ino, then flash to the board. Once you power the board on, it should connect to wifi, then search for the server (Read the serial output).
I'm also planning to design a 3d-printable case which mounts a battery pack and uses elastic bands to attach the device to your upper arm or wrist. I'm lazy and CAD is hard, so maybe I'll get to it.. ?
Just download a build of the server from releases and run it from a cmd before starting VRChat.
Make sure to include the --port= and --address= parameters
If you're already using/would rather use VRCOSC, there's also a module included in the releases as a dll. Just follow the VRCOSC instructions for importing a module.
| Parameter | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Plasma/Enable |
bool | Writeable; toggled to enable/disable updating of bpm |
Plasma/Online |
bool | Readonly; shows connection status of server |
Plasma/BPM |
int | Readonly; heartrate in bpm |